Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

Chapter 270: Highway (5)

Mara.

Among the things that Yeongwoo knew as “Mara,” there was only one entity capable of seizing an alien planet.

Master of the Void, one who walks in the shadow of universal laws.

The King of Ten Thousand Demons.

The troublesome figure he kept getting entangled with.

“Mara was also in your world?”

When Yeongwoo reflexively asked this, Bantubangtong’s eyes twitched this time.

- What do you mean? Could it be that Mara is on this planet as well?

The Lord of the Red Foot, Bantubangtong, looked in disbelief.

- Ah.

Fear and anger alternated in his fierce gaze.

Mara, who had already trampled on their home once before.

That’s why he was so terrified, yet simultaneously, the overwhelming desire for revenge made his chest feel like it would burst.

- Where is Mara now?

“I’m not exactly sure yet. I’m searching.”

Yeongwoo said this and cautiously added,

“However...”

- However?

“There is a place I suspect. A country called China, which is about to go to war with us.”

- China?

Bantubangtong tilted his head.

He didn’t know how large a country China was.

- About to go to war? Aren’t you the master of this planet?

“Not yet. But I will be soon. And I’ll keep my promise to guarantee your survival.”

Yeongwoo pointed to the sky with his index finger, referring to the laser bombardment they had seen a moment ago.

- ......

At this, Bantubangtong began to understand what kind of place this planet was.

- This place is... a world of swindlers.

“I apologize. But I am a swindler with loyalty. I always keep my promises.”

This was Yeongwoo’s idea of “loyalty.”

He always kept his promises and repaid any grace shown to him.

Even if the recipient of his gratitude was a demon or an orc.

“On Earth, this is called ‘loyalty.’”

- Loyalty... does that mean swindler?

“...No. It’s more like a sense of duty and trust. It’s similar to how the lord doesn’t betray his ‘brothers.’”

- Ah.

“And those who act with such loyalty are called, if young, ‘little hero,’ and if older or more respected, ‘great hero.’”

- Great hero?

“Yes. For example, you would be called Lord Bang, the Great Hero.”

- Aha.

According to social norms, Bantubangtong should have asked Yeongwoo’s name next and called him ‘Great Hero Jeong,’ but...

- Hmm.

Bantubangtong did not call Yeongwoo a great hero.

‘This crazy orc bastard?’

Of course, this wasn’t enough to ruin the major deal they were negotiating.

It was a business worth 1.2 billion a day.

And there was a chance they would ally with at least 5,000, potentially growing, orc troops.

“Lord.”

Yeongwoo picked up his pen and called Bantubangtong.

“If you fully cooperate with me, I will approve an orc autonomous territory in northern Australia and ensure that no one on this planet threatens the orcs’ right to survive.”

In essence, Yeongwoo was selling something he didn’t yet have, but Bantubangtong didn’t have a better alternative.

- Fine. But we have one condition.

“Condition? What is it...?”

An unexpected counter.

But the red-footed orc’s condition was much simpler than Yeongwoo anticipated.

- We will also participate in the fight against Mara.

They wanted to take revenge for their homeland here on Earth.

And for Yeongwoo,

“Of course, Lord Bang. You have that right.”

there was no reason to refuse.

Scribble.

Yeongwoo picked up his pen again.

Then he started writing down the guarantee of orc survival on a notepad.

“First, I, Jeong Yeongwoo, will jointly defend the orc autonomous territory in northern Australia.”

- Good.

“However, second, the orc autonomous territory cannot launch a preemptive attack on other regions or countries, and if they must attack for unavoidable reasons, they must notify me.”

This clause considered the major cities in southern Australia, Jeju Island, and even Japan.

Since the reset, Korea-Japan relations had not been properly established.

But unexpectedly, Bantubangtong objected at this point.

- How can it be an autonomous territory if we cannot launch preemptive attacks? We are about to pay you a large sum of money. I think that is enough respect.

“I understand what you mean, but it becomes troublesome if you have attack rights. This planet has billions of humans other than me, and we must consider public opinion.”

He wanted to explain in more detail, but it was getting dark.

This meant that the time for abnormal weather and nighttime dungeons was approaching.

So Yeongwoo needed to rest as soon as possible.

“If you want full autonomy, help me conquer this planet as soon as possible. To do that, we must first defeat a country called China, which is thousands of kilometers away.”

Yeongwoo said this, feeling a lump in his chest.

He could not move the orc troops stationed in Australia to China.

If the entity behind China’s Im Dupyeong was Mara, Yeongwoo sincerely wanted the Red Foot Orcs to join the battle.

But how?

‘I can’t transport 5,000 orcs and their weapons by express shipping. The cost would be astronomical.’

- So what do we do? Is there anything other than paying money?

As Bantubangtong asked this, an emblem of Dogo appeared in the center of Yeongwoo’s vision.

Like a computer booting up and showing the OS logo.

Flash!

“Oh...!”

Then a new type of interface appeared.

「The planetary development process will begin now.」

‘Ah, is the company officially intervening now?’

As Yeongwoo blinked rapidly, the next stage proceeded.

「Is the power on the planet unified?」

‘Unified? No.’

Currently, at least two forces could oppose the Korean Peninsula.

There were forces backed by Lemu and Mara, each with their own influence.

‘And there’s no guarantee that one of them isn’t Im Dupyeong. There could be more than three competitors.’

Never forget that Earth was quite vast.

Just this morning, he hadn’t considered that an orc army might be stationed in Australia.

「To unify the planet, what is the top priority that must be addressed?」

‘Top priority?’

As Yeongwoo questioned, the development system displayed a series of items.

[Equip with Anti-Air Defense Capabilities]

[Construct High-Speed Transit Routes]

[Low-Interest Refinancing Loans]

[Equipment Upgrades]

[Deploy Special Defense Forces]

It seemed these were the initial business items that Dogo could pursue.

‘Why is anti-air defense a priority for planetary unification…?’

Of course, on some planets, this might be crucial enough to be a representative task.

But what caught Yeongwoo’s eye was neither anti-air defense nor equipment upgrades.

‘High-speed transit routes…?’

This phrase seemed to directly target his needs.

Hadn’t he been looking for a very fast means of transportation for himself and something to transport the orc army in emergencies?

‘What exactly are high-speed transit routes?’

As Yeongwoo wondered, a detailed explanation appeared.

[Construction of High-Speed Transit Routes]

|Dogo-style highways will be installed across the planet. They can transport most armaments, including living creatures, but construction requires manpower and time.

|These roads are designed to be environmentally friendly and cause no physical damage to the planet’s existing ecosystem. However, accidental casualties may occur during construction.

‘Casualties?’

However, the most important detail was the last part.

|The construction of these roads is simple! Anyone with eyes and a sense of direction can be a constructor.

|But since accidents are likely, we recommend purchasing the company’s constructor pack.

*Constructor Pack: 80 million karma per day.

=2,000 diligent constructors are supplied daily, focusing solely on construction, day and night!

“......”

Yeongwoo finally understood why Dogo’s karma score was so high.

‘Isn’t this essentially a slave market…?’

He wondered how vicious the details of the remaining items would be.

After shivering without realizing it, he carefully reread the introduction of the ‘Construction of High-Speed Transit Routes.’

‘A very fast road that can also serve as a supply route… but workers may die during construction.’

In other words, if you value the lives of the planet’s residents, you should buy Dogo’s constructor pack.

‘80 million karma per day for 2,000 constructors?’

This meant each constructor’s danger pay was 40,000 karma per day, which wasn’t an exorbitant price.

But.

‘I already have 5,000… no, 5,000 brothers who are constructors?’

Yeongwoo glanced at the Red Foot Orcs lined up behind Bantubangtong.

Seeing this, Bantubangtong also looked at his brothers.

- What is it?

“Lord Bang.”

- Are you planning to swindle again?

“How could I? I just need your help.”

- Speak. If you truly intend to guarantee our survival, you, too, are a Red Foot.

With this, Bantubangtong signaled somewhere within the ranks.

Whoosh.

Soon, some orcs emerged from the ranks carrying a steel inkstone filled with red ink.

It seemed they had some kind of oath-taking ceremony.

So Yeongwoo quickly wrote a new number on his notepad and showed it to Lord Bang.

「8,000」

- 8,000? What does that mean?

“From now on, we’ll only collect 80 million karma daily from the orc autonomous territory in Australia. Instead, use the difference from the original amount to bring more brothers.”

In other words, he meant to increase their numbers by reducing the original amount of 120 million to 40 million.

- Really? Then what’s the catch?

“The road.”

- The road?

“Yes. Please build the road leading to Mara.”

- Mara…!

At the mention of the two syllables that struck the hearts of the exiles, all the orcs, including Bantubangtong, let out fierce roars.

- Mara!

- The road to Mara…!

- The road of revenge!

Of course, they had no idea what they were shouting.

Meanwhile, a design plan and construction process for the ‘High-Speed Transit Routes’ appeared in Yeongwoo’s vision, and it was anything but ordinary.

‘Huh…? An elevated highway?’

Judging by the surroundings shown in the short video of the construction process, this construction would take place hundreds of meters above ground.

However, the bigger issue was the method of connecting the highways.

High-speed constructors would be launched in the direction the road would be laid, and the road would form along their trajectory.

‘Ha, well, without this method, it would take too long.’

Then what would happen to the constructors launched at high speed to lay the roads?

At least, the sample video didn’t reveal what happened afterward.

“......”

The Absolute Demon of the Korean Peninsula, Jeong Yeongwoo’s eyes grew a bit misty.

Then his arm shot high into the air.

“Revenge road! We’re going to Mara…!”