Chapter 311

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 311: Noble Family (3)

— We’re going to space with those people’s money?

Song Jiseon showed interest in her son’s words for the first time since their reunion.

She was starting to get curious about exactly what her son was doing in this unusual city.

“Yes. While we’re collecting taxes legally now, we used to receive defense fees.”

— Defense fees? You mean payment for using your combat abilities?

As expected from a former businesswoman, Song Jiseon grasped the situation quickly, making it easier for Yeongwoo to explain.

“Well... something like that. I actually prefer to call it a life fee. At one point, all of the city’s Strongest Swords were in competition with each other.”

— Hmm. So even if it weren’t for you, they’d be too busy fighting amongst themselves to choose a leader.

“Yes. Through that process, they selected a person capable of handling abnormal beings like you.”

When Yeongwoo subtly praised his mother by referring to her as an “abnormal being,” she remained silent inside her helmet.

— .......

However, Yeongwoo was sure of one thing.

His mother was likely feeling quite proud of herself at the moment.

— So, are those over there... the normal kind of mutants?

Jiseon pointed toward the Strongest Swords and the mutants behind them as she asked.

Yeongwoo nodded.

“For the most part, yes. Those are your typical mutants.”

Typical mutants.

Even so, these were formidable beings—powerful enough that the renowned Strongest Swords of various regions couldn’t handle them on their own and were forced to retreat.

And among them was the exceptionally powerful Song Jiseon, the “abnormal” being.

— Hmm.

Jiseon made a sound of satisfaction before quietly raising her massive sword.

Sliiide.

— You said I shouldn’t kill any humans, right?

“Yes. Think of it as reducing our travel funds by 5% for each person you kill. You can’t afford to make mistakes.”

This comment was partly due to the upcoming re-election vote that might take place, but Yeongwoo kept that part to himself.

— I have no reason to kill them anyway. But if they get caught in my attack by accident, that can’t be helped.

“...What did you say?”

As Yeongwoo’s brow furrowed in frustration, Jiseon raised her ice greatsword high.

Whoosh.

Upon seeing this, Yeongwoo immediately shouted toward the Strongest Swords.

“Run! You’re all going to die...!”

He had momentarily forgotten that his mother used to be a corporate tycoon just a short while ago.

Given that she was still upset from losing the power struggle with her son, she wasn’t in the mood to care about such “trivial” matters.

— You’re telling me those little guys hold a 5% stake each? Either your math is wrong, or we’re riding in a total junker.

“What the hell?! I was just estimating!”

As Yeongwoo’s eyes widened in disbelief, Jiseon’s body became enveloped in a glowing blue aura.

Fwoooosh!

She was beginning to transform back into a massive ice dragon.

“Ah, come on!”

This time, even Yeongwoo had no choice but to retreat, and the Strongest Swords, realizing that a major catastrophe was about to hit Gwangjin District, hurriedly turned around.

In fact, they even ran in the direction of the mutants who had been chasing them.

“What the hell is going on?!”

“What is that...?”

The ball of light radiating from Jiseon had already risen over 100 meters into the sky.

Unaware of the situation, the Strongest Swords instinctively realized that the mutants they had been running from were safer than whatever this massive thing was.

“Yeongwoo! What have you done this time?!”

One of the Strongest Swords had astutely guessed that this was Yeongwoo’s doing, but before he could hear a response, a deafening roar blanketed Gwangjin District, drowning out everything else.

— If you don’t want to die, move aside!

At the thunderous warning, the Strongest Swords, who had been facing off against the mutants blocking their escape, looked around in confusion.

“Move?”

“...Which way is ‘aside’?”

Jiseon had told them to move “aside” from her perspective, but her body was so enormous that the Strongest Swords couldn’t tell which direction was considered “aside.”

Meanwhile, Jiseon, having re-formed her ice dragon body, opened her massive maw wide.

— Mooove!

As she unleashed a forward breath attack, the massive ice shards shot out, narrowly missing the Strongest Swords who had correctly guessed the direction to dodge.

BOOM!

However, some of the Strongest Swords who had moved in the wrong direction were not as lucky.

“Huh?”

“W-wait!”

They were immediately caught in the breath attack before they could react to the absurd scale of the assault.

“What? Who exactly?”

—What’s happening overseas? Do you even know? What's the point of being a thug only in this country?

“Oh.”

Of course, the head of Jinhyeon Group, a global corporation.

Yeongwoo thought that even if his mother had been reset as a human instead of a mutant, she would have survived just fine.

“Overseas, it’s a mess there too.”

—Really?

Song Jiseon made a sound of surprise.

It seemed unexpected to her that her brute of a son was aware of the situation abroad.

—Have you been overseas? Have you fought there? Have you competed with the extraterrestrials?

Song Jiseon narrowed her large eyes and asked, to which Yeongwoo wiped his nose and shrugged.

“If someone aims to touch the universe, wouldn't they have at least visited abroad?”

Yeongwoo wanted to boast that he owned billions in foreign bonds, but explaining all that would take too long, so he held back.

Besides, he hadn’t fully dominated the entire world yet.

“Of course, I haven’t been to every single country, but I’m pretty sure of this: I’m the strongest on this planet.”

When Yeongwoo made this bold claim, Song Jiseon gave him a skeptical look.

—The world is bigger than you think.

“That’s exactly what I want to say.”

Just as Yeongwoo and Jiseon were about to start another argument.

Fiiiing!

A sharp signal sound came from the distant sky.

—What now? Is someone else coming?

Song Jiseon opened her mouth again, preparing to unleash her breath into the sky, while in the meantime, Yeongwoo caught sight of a beam of light rising from the west.

Something from the west had just communicated with something beyond the sky.

“Oh, the west! That’s where it is!”

—What? What’s there?

“The Victory Monument!”

As Yeongwoo remembered the significant structure to the west, a system message appeared in everyone's view within Seoul.

「In one hour, Promotion Inspectors will arrive.」

「Prepare a gift in return.」

“Huh? What the hell?”

As Yeongwoo’s eyes widened with a sense of déjà vu so strong it tingled his scalp, Song Jiseon closed her mouth, which had been aimed at the sky.

—What’s going on?

It seemed she hadn’t seen the system message.

So Yeongwoo stomped his feet and shouted.

“The planetary inspectors are coming! In one hour!”

—What? Inspectors?

Song Jiseon would now be able to witness a part of the 'universe' she had longed for.

The problem, however, was—

“We have to prepare a gift in one hour! The kind of people who receive these are incredibly high-ranking!”

For instance, that had been the case with the shareholders of Dogo.

When they first met, the system had kindly informed him to prepare a gift for these distinguished guests.

—What the hell. You’ve got such important visitors coming, and you’re just now thinking about the gift?

Song Jiseon snorted in disdain, her blue breath puffing out, but then Yeongwoo suddenly lifted his head as if struck by a brilliant idea.

“Mom!”

—...?

“What would be a good gift?”

—How should I know, you reckless idiot?

The sudden use of the term 'Mom' caught her so off guard that Song Jiseon forgot to be angry and took a step back.

Then, as Yeongwoo glanced at the guest timer that had appeared in his view, he spoke again.

“You were the owner of Jinhyeon Group, right? A global hospitality genius! So, if you were me, what would you give to the planetary inspectors?”

—...What is this kid even talking about?

In reality, wasn’t her son the real genius of hospitality?

Song Jiseon felt a strange pressure closing in on her.

After her son had just praised her as a hospitality genius, standing there saying nothing would make her look foolish.

—Well, I don’t know. What exactly did the system say?

In the end, Song Jiseon reluctantly took on her son’s assignment, and Yeongwoo grinned wickedly before climbing onto Negwig.

“Then I’ll just make a quick trip to Gangnam while you think it over! I’m a little busy today!”

—What?

By the time Song Jiseon realized she’d been tricked, Metal Seoul's mayor, Jeong Yeongwoo, had already left the outskirts of Gwangjin-gu.

Crash, crash...

—That little punk dares to subcontract the job to me?

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]