Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

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Chapter 394: Big Hand (4)

‘Wha… 3 billion?’

Yeongwoo’s eyes widened.

It was 3 billion karma in cash, not even discreetly handled.

It was essentially a congratulatory gift thrown out for Lemu to see.

‘W-Well, it’s definitely good, but… what is he planning for the second round?’

Knowing the chairman’s personality through the cards, Yeongwoo couldn’t help but worry.

Saving Face

<The power value is adjusted to always be higher than the opponent’s. However, the power of the next round’s card will decrease by the increased amount.>

As the characteristic of the chairman’s "Dogo Card" suggested, the real chairman was highly sensitive to immediate victories.

There was no way such a chairman would show weakness at an event like this.

If anything, he would keep up the competition of congratulatory money even if it meant bankrupting the company.

Of course, the host would make an enormous amount of money, but to Yeongwoo, who now considered Dogo as "his company," this was not a welcome development.

‘My company and the chairman aren’t just money sources. They’re my backing.’

If the company’s situation worsened, what would happen?

Naturally, the cosmic standing of "Jeong Yeongwoo07" would weaken.

—Th… Three billion! Thank you very much.

Kobu received the signed receipt with great reverence, then spread his left hand to indicate the main building.

At the entrance, Chobu and Tobu were politely waiting for Dogo.

—The wedding hall preparations are complete. Guests may enter according to the ranking of their congratulatory money.

At that moment, a series of numbers appeared above everyone's heads.

Pa-pa-pa-pat!

It was a kind of numbering system.

It represented both the order of entry into the main hall and the ranking of their financial contributions.

—Already time to enter, huh?

Having bought the "1" spot above his head with a staggering 3 billion, Dogo nodded slightly and began moving towards the main hall.

Watching this, Yeongwoo grabbed Kobu, who was following the chairman, and whispered very softly.

“Wait. There’s still something to do.”

Kobu tried to shake him off and follow Dogo.

—P-Please don’t do this! This puts me in a difficult position…!

For Kobu, attending to the level 3 entity Dogo was far more important than following the host’s instructions.

Yeongwoo had anticipated this.

“It’s a direct order from the chairman.”

—R-Really?

Kobu stopped in his tracks and turned to Yeongwoo.

—What did the chairman order? Please tell me.

“Homeostasis.”

—……?

“The guests from Earth won’t be able to withstand Mara’s presence. He said to reinforce homeostasis by creating a human-only seating area.”

Yeongwoo vaguely pointed somewhere in the main building.

Kobu nodded.

—As expected, the chairman is most considerate. Just as I have heard.

‘…What the hell has he heard? Has he lost his mind from nervousness…?’

Yeongwoo couldn’t relate, but Kobu was already moving to the next step.

—Rumors say that beings below grade 9 will perish when Mara descends.

“…What? Below grade 9?”

That meant every guest below grade 10 at today’s wedding was destined to die.

Even now, extraterrestrial guests were descending from their ships lined up in the sky.

The main ceremony was approaching.

“Isn’t grade 9 too high a threshold? That means just sparing humans isn’t enough.”

Yeongwoo said, incredulous.

Kobu nodded.

—That is correct.

“What?”

—This is precisely why it’s almost unheard of to invite the King of Ten Thousand Demons as a guest.

“…Shit, that makes sense.”

Yeongwoo scratched his cheek.

But they had already invited him—what now?

Moreover, Mara was the only running mate for the level 3 chairman.

Among the level 3 beings Yeongwoo knew, only Dogo and Mara existed.

“In that case, instead of a human-only seating area, we need a Mara Spectator Zone, right?”

—A seating area for beings below grade 9?

“Yes. Regardless of species, all guests should be able to watch Mara without dying.”

—That would require significant structural reinforcement.

Now it was Kobu’s turn to sound troubled.

—We would need a considerable additional payment…

“How much?”

There was no time for drawn-out negotiations, so Yeongwoo cut straight to the point.

“How much will it cost to protect all beings below grade 9? Give me the total sum.”

Kobu flicked his fingers as he calculated, then answered.

—48 million Karma.

“…What?”

—Based on the guest list we have received, we need a minimum of 48 million Karma.

“This is insane… That’s over 30% of the wedding venue’s remaining balance.”

Big business came with big risks.

‘No way. I still have to upgrade the city, and I’ll need a lot of money.’

Besides, if they failed to break through the wedding gift threshold, that money would become pure debt.

What to do?

“…!”

A flash of inspiration struck Yeongwoo’s mind.

“Let’s sell it.”

—What…?

“We’ll create the seating area first and then sell the seats. Who says only the top-ranked seat can be sold?”

—Are you suggesting selling the seats for beings below grade 9 separately?

Hearing this, Jiseon, who had been listening, interjected.

—That’s crazy. You’ve already sold the seats by accepting their congratulatory money.

Yeongwoo was ready for this.

“Exactly. So, those who made a contribution get to sit. However, if they’re below grade 9, they’ll die the moment they see Mara.”

—……?

“That’s why they need to buy a ticket for a reinforced seat, where they can safely witness the ceremony and experience a once-in-a-lifetime Mara viewing.”

In other words, he was selling exclusive “Mara Spectator Seats.”

It was another premium product following the congratulatory money ranking seats.

“Kobu, if we divide 48 million Karma among all the guests below grade 9, how much does each need to pay?”

Kobu flicked his fingers again.

—According to the guest list, there are 61 beings below grade 9, including humans.

“…That’s more than I expected.”

—If we divide the additional cost among them equally…

Click.

Kobu finished his calculation.

—Each would need to pay approximately 7.87 million Karma.

“What? That’s cheap. ‘United we stand, divided we fall’ couldn’t be truer.”

Satisfied, Yeongwoo felt relieved.

Faced with a choice between life and death, most guests would pay whatever it took.

Moreover, it wasn’t just extortion—they were being given the chance to witness Mara firsthand, something they might never get again.

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“Then, let’s set the Mara Spectator Seat price at 7.87 million Karma. Keep the change.”

As Yeongwoo concluded the matter, Kobu hesitated for a moment before nodding.

—…Understood. I will proceed with the arrangements immediately.

Meanwhile, more and more alien guests continued to arrive.

The first merchant Yeongwoo had met since the Reset, the representative of the Five Rocks trading company, Chargo, arrived in a massive rock vessel.

Following him, the potter from Pegua, who had once sold Yeongwoo a tattoo, and the president of Guppy Express, a subsidiary of Dogo, also appeared in the lobby.

Business is booming.

As Yeongwoo smiled in satisfaction at the growing crowd of guests filling the lobby, someone spoke to him from behind.

「…Congratulations.」

“…Huh?”

Yeongwoo turned around, sensing an unfamiliar voice.

There stood a massive man with a crow’s head, holding a scythe.

“Oh?”

Yeongwoo’s pupils naturally dilated.

Then, after a moment of hesitation, he recalled the man’s name.

“The… Unbeliever?”

The renowned surgeon, valued at 45 million in karmic debt, who had once operated on Yeongwoo’s heart, had arrived as a guest.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on the run from the Chairman? Are you okay?”

When Yeongwoo asked this, the Mistrust Doctor opened his large beak.

「The Chairman sent an assassin to inform me that I would be granted amnesty for today’s ceremony.」

“……?”

The words didn’t quite make sense, but Yeongwoo decided to let it slide.

He had just spotted Bantubangtong emerging from the corridor, dusting off his shoulders.

“Doctor, I really appreciate this.”

After hastily shaking the Mistrust Doctor’s scythe in gratitude, Yeongwoo rushed toward Lord Bang, who was looking around.

“Lord Bang…!”

—Ah, little foot.

Bantubangtong raised a hand in greeting, and behind him stood three particularly muscular members of the Red Foot tribe.

As Yeongwoo turned his gaze toward them, Lord Bang spoke.

—These are the greatest generals of our tribe.

“I see. But why have the best generals come here…?”

—Little foot, have you already forgotten what day it is today?

“Well, isn’t it my parents’ wedding cerem—”

Yeongwoo suddenly felt a searing heat on the back of his neck and stopped speaking mid-sentence.

“…I momentarily forgot what’s truly important.”

What kind of day was today?

It was the wedding day of Jiseon and Jeonggu.

But at the same time, it was also the day when they would finally see their tribe’s nemesis, Mara, in the flesh.

“Mara. He’ll be here today.”

—Then we must raise two toasts. One for Jiseon and Jeonggu, and another…

Lord Bang looked up at the sky.

—To celebrate Mara’s death in advance.

Mara’s death.

Could it really happen?

But Yeongwoo had already made a promise to the brothers—to help them seek their revenge.

They had become stars in the sky believing in that promise.

How could he betray them now?

Today, he might meet Mara as a guest at the ceremony, but next time, they might cross swords.

‘No… if I think about it, I might end up being the one on the run. After all, I plan to take Mara’s wedding gift and flee, and I must carry out my brothers’ revenge one way or another.’

As Yeongwoo steeled his resolve, the rankings of wedding contributions, mostly filled with alien names, once again saw an entry from Earth.

Ping!

[1st place] Dogo, 「3 billion」

[2nd place] Lemu, Lightning Rod 「1.6 billion」

[3rd place] Kwaya’s Hammer, Private

[4th place] Bantubangtong, 「100 million」

[5th place] Cheok, 90 million

“Huh, Lord Bang?”

A whole 100 million karma gifted.

He was dead serious about witnessing Mara in person today and firming up his resolve.

That meant the money was essentially the price for confronting Mara.

If, by any chance, Mara doesn’t show up…

As Yeongwoo considered the worst possible scenario, his fears were quickly put to rest.

Rumble…!

The sky darkened to an ashen hue, and the congratulatory wreath sent from Dogo started to unlock its restraints.

Clank!

“…No way.”

As Yeongwoo muttered in a low voice, Lord Bang suddenly drew his sword.

—Little foot, is it him? A disgusting stench fills the air.

He then looked up at the sky with a face full of resentment.

—I still have to look up at him. Can you understand how that makes me feel?

Grit.

Lord Bang ground his teeth.

Then, at last—

—Ah.

—This is…

The generals behind him furrowed their brows and clenched their teeth.

They too had caught the disgusting stench that Lord Bang spoke of.

What kind of smell are they talking about?

Yeongwoo, however, couldn’t sense the smell they referred to.

Instead—

Fwoooosh!

The already darkened sky grew even more intensely gray, waves of ashen color rippling outward.

It looked almost like—

“…Huh?”

Yeongwoo’s eyes widened as he sensed something.

At the same moment, he turned his gaze toward the main hall of the ceremony.

Shhhhhhh!

A torrential downpour of ashen rain suddenly started pouring from the sky.

Before Mara even descended, the void matter was already surging forth.

“Mara is here! If you want to live, take cover inside the ceremony hall!”

Yeongwoo shouted, and the raindrops that had just begun striking the guests’ heads suddenly froze in place.

Whoosh!

As if time itself had stopped—or rather, as if time had almost stopped.

The entire area around the ceremony hall had been swallowed by the domain of the void.

‘I’m… I’m screwed.’

Sensing an ominous turn of events, Yeongwoo darted his eyes around, and then—

From beyond the ashen downpour, a chilling voice resonated.

「The groom must show due respect before the Void.」

At that moment, an overwhelming pressure crashed down onto Yeongwoo’s knees.

The suffocating energy blanketing the area was forcing him to kneel.

Yeongwoo gritted his teeth, barely resisting the bizarre force, and finally managed to speak.

“I have yet to kneel even before my Chairman. If I were to show courtesy to the Void first, I would be dishonoring my Chairman.”

But Mara was not one to be swayed by words.

Shhhhhh!

Instead of answering, the pressure on Yeongwoo’s knees intensified.

‘Hurk…?’

If he refused to kneel, then his knees would simply be crushed until he collapsed.

Shit.

Just as Yeongwoo braced himself to make a decision—

—Mara!

A thunderous voice boomed from inside the ceremony hall.

—Enough of your nonsense! Come and see my throne already!

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