Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 379: The Host (5)

The Lone Bride’s Entrance

In Earth's wedding venues, it's not an uncommon sight.

But today, wasn't the story a little different?

This ceremony was a cosmic agreement ritual.

Moreover, the guests were bound to consist of villains from across the universe and greedy businessmen.

"The guests might test your composure and courage. Are you sure you’ll be fine on your own? You do know what kind of people I invited, don’t you?"

For instance, the King of Ten Thousand Demons, Mara, might exude such overwhelming might that the bride won't even be able to take a single step forward.

—So, are we really sending that guy out there alone?

Swoosh.

Jiseon, quietly listening to Yeongwoo's words, points her finger toward Jeonggu.

"……."

With this, Yeongwoo could only agree.

"Well, fair enough."

Kim Jeonggu

The Strongest Sword of Dobong.

Though he was the biological father of Jeong Yeongwoo, the Greatest Sword of the Korean Peninsula, Jeonggu's cosmic knowledge was abysmally lacking.

Thus, there was no way someone like him could endure the guests' malicious mental assaults.

‘But… isn’t Father also Jeonggu Before the Typhoon?’

Yeongwoo suddenly recalled the “Jeonggu card” he saw during the negotiation table with Yuto, the Swordmaster of Tokyo.

[Jeonggu Before the Typhoon]

"Jeonggu is still alive. The mysteries of the universe protect him."

| Card Rank: Legendary

| Power: 1,000

Suspicious Straw

<Always wins against cards of the same rank. However, it loses to all other cards.>

It was hard to see this as just a game card.

The way it perfectly encapsulated the characteristics of “real” people, like illegitimate heirs and corporate chairmen, was proof enough.

In other words, the effect of the “Jeonggu Before the Typhoon” card likely reflected Jeonggu’s real-life abilities to a significant degree.

‘Same rank… meaning he has an advantage against legendary-level opponents.’

Surprisingly, one of the representative legendary cards was Lemu.

[Desires of All, Remu]

"If you know everyone's desires, you can captivate everyone."

| Card Rank: Legendary

| Power: 900

An Offer You Can't Refuse

For some inexplicable reason, it suggested that Jeonggu might be relatively unscathed against someone at Lemu's level.

‘But why, though?’

Of course, one shouldn’t take card effects at face value.

But at least they provided a plausible basis.

‘Honestly, most of the unruly guests seem to be legendary-tier. So maybe it’s better to send Father alone after all.’

No matter the choice, it was a gamble.

After all, among today’s guests was Mara, the King of Ten Thousand Demons.

‘The Chairman might not actively threaten Father, but there’s no predicting what Mara will do.’

A figure who walked in the shadow of cosmic laws.

To him, even this ceremony might be nothing more than a passing amusement.

It was impossible to predict the level of threat he might pose to the participants.

‘In that case, we can only hope the Chairman takes the top spot in the contribution rankings and banishes Mara.’

Returning to the issue of the contribution rankings after much deliberation, Yeongwoo alternately looked at his parents and said:

"Then, let’s have Mother enter alone for now. But if the guests’ ranks are higher than expected, let Father go in instead."

—What?

"What? What are you talking about? If the guests are high-ranked, shouldn’t we be even more careful?"

Jeonggu exclaimed in alarm.

But Yeongwoo didn’t have the time to explain the card details.

"Do you think high-ranking figures would even care about someone as insignificant as Father? He looks too weak to be worth their attention."

After brushing off the concerns, Yeongwoo turned to Kubu, who blinked while standing nearby.

"Is there anything else we need to know? Anything at all?"

-The contribution rankings might cause unexpected issues… but for now, there’s nothing more you need to be aware of.

Kubu, who perceived the rankings as a "problem," spoke cautiously.

But Yeongwoo wasn’t particularly interested in that detail.

"Alright then. I think we’re done for now. We can practice entering the ceremony venue after it’s set up."

Scratching his chin, Yeongwoo scanned the landscape of Gwangjin District, prompting Jeonggu to approach with a worried expression.

"Y-Yeongwoo."

"Yes?"

"There’s nothing else, right…?"

"Hmm. Who knows?"

At his father’s question, Yeongwoo glanced at the clock.

Then he looked back at Kubu and gave instructions.

"The venue will arrive at 2:23 PM today. Check it out once it’s set up."

-Understood. I’ll take my leave now.

Swoosh.

Kubu disappeared, the void closing behind him.

Only then did Yeongwoo turn back to his father.

"For now, this should suffice."

"For now?"

"Yes. If there’s anything else you’d like for the ceremony, let me know. Let’s head back, have lunch, and return later."

"Lunch… what was supposed to happen after lunch again?"

Jeonggu, now visibly anxious, asked nervously.

"You’ve been relaxing for too long, haven’t you? The Mutant is arriving in the afternoon."

"Oh."

At his son’s remark, Jeonggu’s mouth fell open in realization.

"And with a very high probability…"

Swoosh.

Yeongwoo pointed at the sky with his finger, prompting Jeonggu and Jiseon to look up.

"High probability?"

—What is it?

"With a very high probability, Uncle will be visiting Seoul today."

—Ah, that's right. That bastard should be arriving soon.

Jiseon couldn't help but have mixed feelings.

After all, Yeongwoo’s second maternal uncle was also Jiseon's second older brother.

12:31 PM.

Yeongwoo, Jiseon, and Jeonggu gathered at what used to be a "restaurant" in Gangnam-gu to eat lunch.

The meal had been prepared by Taewon, and despite the reset world, they managed to enjoy a reasonably well-organized lunch.

At least proper utensils were available.

Of course, it wasn’t a situation where a chef could mix ingredients to cook, so most of the food was instant meals.

—What’s all this?

Jiseon, sitting across from Yeongwoo, pointed at the convenience store hamburger on the white plate and asked.

Yeongwoo jokingly mimed picking it up and asked back.

“Why, shall I cut it up for you?”

—No, I’m asking how you’ve managed to live your whole life eating junk like this.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

It was an understandable complaint from Jiseon's perspective.

She hadn’t been in this world for long and didn’t fully grasp the extent of the damage Earth had suffered due to the reset.

For instance, she didn’t know much about the petrification phenomenon that rendered most objects unusable.

“This is the best we can do. Right now, we can’t even light a gas stove.”

Because gas lines and electricity weren’t functioning.

—Not even the gas stove?

“Nope. The only time city utilities work is during the Grand Scale Service hours, and even then, it’s impossible to send people out due to the extreme weather. In short, the world is collapsing.”

With no way to produce even basic industrial goods, the world was, strictly speaking, in a terminal state.

—What’s the point of everything we’re doing, then? If we’re all just going to starve to death eventually?

“That’s not certain.”

—What?

“We don’t know exactly, but there is a city growth route and planet upgrades underway. If we can’t endure the reset, destruction is inevitable, but there’s surely a breakthrough somewhere.”

—What exactly is that breakthrough?

“We don’t know yet.”

Yeongwoo pushed his hamburger plate toward Jeonggu.

Jeonggu glanced at Yeongwoo for permission before sliding the hamburger onto his empty plate.

“One way or another, we’ll either stop the reset or find a way to alter its trial form. If not…”

—If not, then what?

“We’ll have no choice but to build a massive spaceship and migrate to another planet. Of course, I hope it won’t come to that.”

Yeongwoo’s goal of installing the "Pioneering Statue" from the Returnee’s Chamber here on Earth was for that very reason.

If the Earth itself could be transformed into a spaceship, humanity could be relocated effortlessly.

“By the way, what kind of person is my second uncle?”

When Yeongwoo shifted the topic to Jinhyeon, Jiseon, who had been staring intently at her hamburger plate, suddenly reached under her helmet.

Click.

She unlocked the strap.

“...!”

“Huh?”

For the first time since arriving on Earth, Jiseon began to take off her helmet.

—Song Jungho. He’s a real pain in the ass.

Shhh.

She slowly removed her helmet with one hand, revealing the true face of Song Jiseon, hidden beneath the thick steel armor.

“Ji… Jiseon—no, ma’am? You were really a person?”

“What? So you didn’t have a lizard face after all?”

—What nonsense are you talking about, you idiots?

Song Jiseon.

The youngest daughter of Jinhyeon Group, ranked second in Korea's corporate hierarchy, and the so-called "Iron-Blooded Empress" who had overtaken her brothers to seize the chairman's position.

Her face, surprisingly, remained as it had been just before the reset.

The only differences were that her skin was paler than it had been as a human, and her flowing, mane-like long hair was now white.

However, her distinct sharp eyes and features remained so intact that even Yeongwoo, who had only known her from news and newspapers, recognized her instantly.

“If you didn’t have a lizard face, why did you bother wearing the helmet all the time?”

When Yeongwoo asked out of genuine curiosity, Jiseon picked up the hamburger with her armored fingers.

After hesitating for a moment, she took a big bite and frowned deeply.

—Why do you think? I returned to a world where I don’t know what might hit me at any moment.

A world where the masses had hunted her with karma points.

Though she had become a dragon, returning to a world filled with hostility toward her had understandably put Jiseon on edge.

“Oh, so the fact that you’re taking off the helmet now means…”

As Yeongwoo smiled mischievously, ready to tease his mother, Jiseon bared her teeth, revealing blue veins beneath her skin.

—Shut up, you trashy brat. You think I’d eat with the helmet still on?

“Yes, yes. Please, enjoy your meal.”

Yeongwoo waved his hand dismissively, knowing all too well that her words didn’t match her true feelings.

‘Finally, I’ve managed to get her to take that cursed helmet off.’

Perhaps a part of the ironclad defenses in her heart had been unlocked.

And that would greatly contribute to:

[Family: Restoration of Roots]

| Complete the following three tasks. (1/3)

- Find a mother and a father.

- Reunite your parents.

- Be blessed by your complete parents.

This was critical to fulfilling the family achievement, Root Restoration.

Reuniting the parents should be solved by this wedding.

But as for being “complete parents”...

It was the final condition of the family achievement.

This clearly referred to parents who were proper in every sense—legally, biologically, and emotionally.

Thus, to make Song Jiseon a complete mother, they would need to become a proper family.

The same applied to Jeonggu, who was already on his second hamburger.

“Dad, you’ll need to come with me to Gwangjin-gu at 1 PM.”

“Huh? Me? Why?”

“You should at least meet my second uncle. We’re about to hold a wedding.”

“Ah, right. I should meet him.”

Moreover, Jinhyeon’s second son, Song Jungho, was the final witness required for the ceremony.

“Having everyone involved in the marriage present will make the persuasion easier, don’t you think?”

“Yeongwoo… I don’t think this is going to be easy at all.”

“Even if it’s not, we’ll make it happen.”

They had come too far to be stopped by a single second uncle.

“I’ll make sure he stands at the altar.”

As Yeongwoo made this bold declaration while fiddling with the edge of his hamburger plate, an ominous energy erupted above the restaurant ceiling.

Boom!

“What’s that?”

Jeonggu sprang up from his seat.

Jiseon, too, slowly raised her head as she put her helmet back on.

—It’s a dragon.

Yeongwoo stood, lifting Aratubank, and said:

“No, it’s our new family member.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]