Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

Chapter 241: Powdered Bean (1)

Uncle.

From Song Taeho’s perspective, if he looked at it in reverse, Yeongwoo was his nephew.

A nephew born from the misdeeds of his estranged younger sister.

And that nephew was coincidentally the Strongest Sword in Joseon, and had already killed a dragon once.

—I… I have a nephew?

And not just any nephew.

Jeong Yeongwoo was a powerful nephew who survived the reset world.

—…..

Song Taeho, shocked, couldn’t find the words to speak.

Then,

Whish!

The red sky returned to its normal state, and the presence he felt beyond the clouds disappeared.

‘He’s gone?’

It was probably because he used the General mark earlier, and the allowed time had run out.

But soon, the mutant appearance time would come, and they would meet again quickly.

Boom, crack!

Yeongwoo quickly drove the Negwig into Gangnam.

Soon, Lim Suna, Kim Jeonggu, and the top swordsman of Yangju, Choi Jongseon, waiting in front of the Parnas Hotel, came into view.

As it approached 1 PM and Yeongwoo had not returned, they decided to come out, heavily armed.

“Oh, Suna!”

Yeongwoo waved to Suna, as he had some information to relay to Taewon.

Jeonggu and Jongseon, standing on either side of Suna, sheepishly put the weapons they had been holding back into their belts.

Seeing Yeongwoo, riding an iron horse from another world, made their attempts to fight in his place seem ridiculous.

Of course, Yeongwoo himself had no such thoughts.

“Nothing happened during that time, right?”

“No… Are you alright, Yeongwoo? Nothing happened to you?”

Suna looked Yeongwoo up and down, noticing he was only wearing pants and no shoes.

Yeongwoo glanced at the still-clear sky and spoke in a nonchalant tone.

“Something did happen to me.”

“Pardon…?”

“This afternoon, someone will come near Busan. He’s an acquaintance of mine… make sure he gets to the lodging without any interference.”

“Oh, understood. Can I ask his name?”

Suna hurriedly took out a notepad to write, and Yeongwoo realized something.

“…Oh.”

He should have asked for the name before parting, but he forgot due to the time constraints.

“…Chan?”

He still only remembered one syllable of his student’s name.

Then,

“Oh, Yechan?”

Finally, he remembered the name of the first companion he met after the reset.

“I think it’s Yechan.”

Suna nodded and asked a question Yeongwoo didn’t expect.

“Then what is his last name?”

“…?”

Knowing the first name should suffice, why ask the last name?

“Not sure. It’s been a while since we met… if he gets stopped at a checkpoint, ask him for me. I’m curious too.”

“Oh… okay.”

Suna wrote down the name ‘Yechan’ with a reluctant expression.

“Next.”

“Is there something else?”

“Yes. But this isn’t something Suna can handle.”

Swoosh.

Yeongwoo’s gaze shifted to Jongseon and Jeonggu, whose faces darkened.

“What, what is it?”

Jeonggu reflexively responded bluntly.

Jongseon also looked uneasily at Yeongwoo.

Yeongwoo pointed west and spoke meaningfully.

“Someone needs to go to Incheon and collect money. Every day.”

“Every day? From Incheon? Are you extorting nationwide now?”

Jeonggu, worried that Incheon was a rough place, didn’t understand Yeongwoo’s request.

It seemed unlikely that those in Incheon, who were not ordinary, would easily give up money.

However, Yeongwoo’s next words were beyond Jeonggu’s imagination.

“It’s not Incheon’s money.”

“…What?”

“It’s Chinese money. Shandong Province will send us 20 million Karma every day.”

“What? This crazy guy.”

“Wait a minute. So, the money to be collected…?”

Choi Jongseon’s eyes blinked twice in astonishment.

“You mean to go to Incheon and collect Chinese money? So, do we meet Chinese people too?”

“Yes, that could happen. When they bring the bag of money from Shandong Province to Incheon, the people there will hold onto it. Then, our person will go and collect the money.”

Yeongwoo added that if the Chinese stayed around to rest, they might even have tea together.

At this, Choi Jongseon took a step back.

“This… isn’t smuggling, is it?”

“Why would this be smuggling? It’s foreign currency importation.”

Strictly speaking, Yeongwoo was correct.

Though the transaction seemed suspicious, in a world without customs, the concept of smuggling didn’t exist.

“We’ve arranged to receive a kind of defense fee from Shandong Province. It’s an informal deal, but it’s still an international transaction and the amount is significant, so we need to send someone trustworthy.”

Yeongwoo added an explanation.

“Of course, if either Shandong Province or Incheon has a change of heart, it could be a disaster, so we need someone capable of handling the worst-case scenario.”

This implied that the candidates for this ‘capable person’ were the two people standing there now.

“Hmm.”

“Hmm…”

At Yeongwoo’s flattering words, the two men unconsciously puffed out their chests.

“20 million in cash… That’s certainly a lot of money. Going into Incheon to collect it isn’t a job just anyone can do.”

As Jeonggu said this, Yeongwoo added more.

“Of the 20 million, 5 million has to be given to Incheon. It’s a kind of brokerage fee.”

“Really? So they’ll probably deduct 5 million right from the start.”

“Most likely.”

“What time should we collect the money?”

“Both we and they have to deal with the mutants first, so visiting in the afternoon is best. Around six o’clock should be suitable.”

In other words, whoever took on this collection job would have a busy day every day.

They’d have to bring the mutants from their jurisdiction to Gwangjin-gu for Yeongwoo at 1 PM, then head to Incheon to collect the money once that was done.

“So… no extra pay for our effort?”

Jeonggu finally started negotiating seriously.

“Extra pay?”

“It’s not just pay; it’s really for maintaining our dignity. We can’t look weak to the people in Incheon or the Chinese.”

Jeonggu’s point was simple.

Since they’d be dealing with top fighters from at least two regions, they needed to enhance the collector’s strength in advance to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

“If you try to save on this minor expense, you could end up losing the whole 15 million.”

“You’re not wrong.”

Surprisingly, Yeongwoo nodded easily.

The reason for giving 5 million to Incheon was similar.

In this lawless world, having enough power meant you could do anything.

For example, Incheon agreed to hold such a large sum because they lacked the strength to refuse.

“How much do you want for extra pay?”

When Yeongwoo asked directly, Jeonggu scratched his chin and cautiously spoke.

“1.5 million…?”

He wanted 10% of the funds he was transporting.

Yeongwoo turned to Jongseon.

“What about you, mother?”

“…Just call me Jongseon.”

“Okay, Jongseon, then.”

“I think 1.5 million will be enough for me too.”

“Alright, that’s fine.”

Yeongwoo clapped his hands.

“How about this: I’ll give you 5 million. But you two have to go together and split it, 2.5 million each.”

“What?”

“Really?”

“Yes. But if the worst happens, you must never abandon each other.”

As he said this, Yeongwoo exuded a momentary air of menace, silently warning that he would personally deal with any betrayal.

“Are you sure this is okay? We like it, but… if you give 5 million to Incheon and 5 million to us, what’s left for you?”

“What’s left? 10 million.”

“…”

“One side is my father, and the other is mother, after all. Think of it as a family business.”

With Yeongwoo saying this, Jeonggu, and even Jongseon, who wasn’t actually part of the family, had nothing to say.

“The collection starts today. Refrain from killing civilians during the collection process, but it’s acceptable to kill those at the top level. Just report afterward.”

“Of course.”

“…Understood.”

The two nodded, finalizing the collection job agreement.

And right on cue.

Ding!

As the notification sound, which felt like he hadn’t heard in a long time, rang, Yeongwoo saw that a quest he had been holding onto for three days had been completed.

[Quest Complete – “Paternal Confirmation”]

[Reward Granted]

| 20,000,000 Karma

“Oh, it’s already been three days.”

Dogo’s will, wanting the biological father to stay alive for three days, had finally been realized through the quest.

Then.

*Whaaaaaaaam!*

A black debit card shot down from the sky.

“W-what are you getting paid for again?”

Not realizing the money was related to him, Jeonggu blinked, while Yeongwoo picked up the card that held 20 million.

*Tap.*

With that, Yeongwoo’s wealth quickly surpassed the 30 million mark again.

* Available Karma: 36,938,500

‘I have more money for taxes now.’

Moreover, today’s expected income was at least 70 million Karma.

The two people in front of him would bring 10 million from China, and the total defense fee from various parts of Seoul would be 55 million.

‘If there are no major incidents, Yechan will bring in 8.6 million later… Today might be a bit of a financial celebration.’

Indeed, good things come from a well-stocked granary.

With a much softer expression than before, Yeongwoo looked at the two Strongest Swords.

“It’s time to head out. The mutants will appear soon.”

Jeonggu was the first to step forward at Yeongwoo’s words.

“Right. Do we bring them to Gwangjin-gu again today?”

“Yes. I’ll lend you the Negwig. Drop Jongseon off in Yangju first.”

*Tap!*

As Yeongwoo got off the Negwig and handed the reins to his father, Jeonggu swallowed heavily.

“Why? You’ve ridden it before.”

“It’s not that…”

“…?”

“Your mom isn’t coming today, is she?”

“Oh.”

Yeongwoo finally realized that his father might have overheard parts of his conversation with his uncle earlier.

While he wouldn’t have heard Yeongwoo’s words, he would have heard what the uncle said to him.

For example:

― Who the hell is this Kim Jeonggu?

“Mother? Well, if she was scheduled to appear today, she would have shown up to place a mark like Uncle did.”

Jeonggu flinched at Yeongwoo’s mention of his uncle.

Yeongwoo’s uncle, who would be Jeonggu’s brother-in-law, was someone he had to call ‘brother’ due to Confucian traditions.

“What did you tell your uncle… I mean, brother, about me?”

There was a hint of fear in Jeonggu’s voice.

Having a son who was the Strongest Sword in Joseon was terrifying, but even more terrifying was the brother-in-law who had returned as a dragon.

This fear was rooted in Confucian traditions.

“What did you say? You didn’t say anything weird, right?”

Jeonggu pressed his son for an answer.

Yeongwoo rolled his eyes upwards.

“Dad? What did I say?”

Then he recalled and recited the conversation.

“The man who had a one-night stand with President Song…?”

“What the hell!”

At the unbelievable reality, Jeonggu’s jaw dropped.

*Paaaah!*

At that moment, countless beams of light began to descend from the sky.