Chapter 17

Chapter 17

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 17: Dignity of the Strongest Sword (1)

After Yeongwoo finished his first meal, a brief silence fell upon them.

The hunger was so pervasive that it momentarily made everyone forget the terrifying reality of this world being amidst a reset.

“Um... Strongest Sword-nim.”

The elderly man with the wolf cut from the Haneulchae Residence finally spoke up.

“Yes? Oh, um... if it’s okay, just call me Yeongwoo.”

“Yes, Yeongwoo-ssi.”

What could he possibly want to say?

Yeongwoo looked at the stern-faced elder.

Then the elderly man cautiously brought up the commemorative coins and asked.

“If it’s alright... could we use these?”

30,000 Karma per person.

It was a subtle way of asking if he was planning to reclaim it.

“Oh, that...”

Yeongwoo gazed blankly at his face engraved on the coin and nodded.

“Of course, I’ve distributed those for you to use.”

“Woah...!”

“Are you sure?”

Finally, relief washed over the Haneulchae Residence members, laughter breaking out.

Yeongwoo faintly smiled along with them, then suddenly asked.

“But may I ask how you plan to use it specifically?”

It was a question to gauge how the billions of Karma influx into Gumi City would be utilized.

“We haven’t decided for sure yet... but...”

This time, the woman from the couple answered.

“We plan to reserve 10,000 per person for taxes and use the rest to enhance our abilities. It’ll make it easier for us to fight against monsters.”

“Ah, I see. And will the children also raise their abilities?”

Yeongwoo’s subsequent question silenced the Haneulchae Residence members momentarily.

They hadn’t considered that far yet.

“Well... Maybe it’s better to start by enhancing the guardians’ combat abilities?”

“Yes. I guess discussing that would be the way to go. I was merely curious.”

After this conversation, Yeongwoo turned his gaze to Yechan, who was quietly waiting behind him.

“Are you hungry? Let’s go find something to eat now.”

“Where to?”

“Anywhere there might be food. Since this is a residential area, there should be a market or something nearby.”

At this, an elderly member from the Haneulchae Residence courteously gestured southward.

“It’s actually our neighborhood. I know the supermarket’s location, so let me guide you.”

Obviously, it was a brilliant move to remain close to the Strongest Sword.

However, Yeongwoo needed to secure food before it got dark, so he nodded without a word.

* * *

Initially, there were clearly nine of them when they set out.

The total number of Yeongwoo’s group and the Haneulchae Residence members combined.

But now...

“Is this... really okay?”

Yechan held onto the window, constantly looking back.

It was due to the growing crowd that had started gathering, one by one.

“...Is there anything we can do? We can’t just kill them.”

When Yeongwoo glanced back, immediate reactions poured out.

“Wow... It’s really the Strongest Sword.”

“He looks just like the one on the coin.”

“He doesn’t seem as menacing as I thought.”

Within fifteen minutes, a group of dozens had swelled up, murmuring and following relentlessly.

“...”

Ignoring the continuous assessments about himself, Yeongwoo asked the elderly man guiding them.

“Excuse me, sir, are we still far?”

“We’re almost there. That’s it, ahead.”

The old man glanced back again and added.

“Bothering you, huh?”

“Yes. It’s just that...”

And finally...

Thud.

Yeongwoo, Yechan, and the Haneulchae Residence group arrived in front of the market owner’s family.

“Damn it.”

“Dad...”

The market owner’s family consisted of the owner couple and a boy who looked to be in middle school.

Their forces looked feeble compared to the hundred-strong crowd surrounding the market.

However, the reason the crowd hadn’t forcefully entered wasn’t because they had obtained tokens of sympathy.

Shing...

The silver-white blade that was carefully pointed at Yeongwoo trembled slightly.

‘An Early Bird. Not your average player.’

Yeongwoo gazed fixedly at the Early Bird held in the market owner’s hands.

Then, encased in a golden armor, he extended his right hand towards the tip of the opponent’s blade.

“You have to step back. I understand your unfair situation, but... if things stay this way, you will end up dead.”

“What did you say...?”

The market owner, eyebrows twitching in dissatisfaction, met Yeongwoo’s golden fingers.

It was an unusual piece of equipment to him.

“In a reset world, who’s going to consider someone else’s circumstances? Holding onto everything from before the reset is greed. Right now, survival should be your priority. We’re all starting from scratch.”

As Yeongwoo spoke, the market owner grew agitated.

“Greed? I’m only trying to protect what I had.”

“If you’re forcibly holding onto something you can’t keep anymore...”

As he spoke, Yeongwoo recalled the youth at the currency exchange, picking up coins even when a gang of robbers was approaching.

“If you keep this up, both you and your family will die horribly. So, if I were you, I’d gather as much food as possible and leave.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Yes.”

Indeed, it was a threat.

Yeongwoo, like everyone else, had no intention of starving just to respect the market owner’s property rights.

“You have an Early Bird too. If you use the coins I gave you to increase your abilities, you can hunt monsters sufficiently. Use that to start again, step by step, like everyone else.”

When Yeongwoo said this, the market owner’s wife, who had been quietly listening, looked inside the store and spoke softly.

“Maybe we should do as that person says. Otherwise, we might not be able to keep anything.”

This ‘anything’ included not only food but also their lives.

After all, what more could they do when the Strongest Sword himself had come here.

“...”

However, the market owner wouldn’t relent... no, he couldn’t let go of his pride.

So, in the end...

“Kraat!”

As Yeongwoo shifted his gaze to the market owner’s wife, he committed an atrocity by attempting a surprise attack.

Swoosh!

A silver-white blade grazed past Yeongwoo’s golden fingers.

But Yeongwoo was already keenly observing the opponent’s sword.

‘You choose the worst option in front of your family.’

The hologram of Gumi Sword Technique appeared before him, signaling the beginning of combat with a Senses increase alert.

「Your Senses has temporarily increased from the 100 to 116.」

It was a Senses augmentation effect from the Golden Flash.

‘At least there’s one benefit.’

Recognizing the unintended effect of the new gloves, Yeongwoo attempted to subdue the opponent.

“...?”

However, upon seeing the subsequent alerts, he changed priorities.

「Your Senses has temporarily increased from 116 to 131.」

「Your Senses has temporarily increased from 131 to 145.」

「Your Senses has temporarily increased from 145 to 163.」

Meanwhile, someone in the crowd behind was lurking.

It was also the moment when Yeongwoo confirmed that the ‘Golden Slash’ served as a rear camera.

Ting!

After briefly deflecting the market owner’s Early Bird, Yeongwoo turned around, releasing the energy of Strongest Sword.

Whoosh!

Then he spoke fiercely, his golden eyes flashing.

“These bastards, it’s time to recover the disaster relief funds.”

[Translator – Peptobismol]