Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 279: The First Prince (2)

- What did you say?

When Yeongwoo suggested that the sword in the scabbard might not be the real Bastard, Dogo flinched.

It was a ridiculous provocation, but surprisingly, the First Prince was momentarily shaken.

Of course, despite this, he didn't actually draw his sword to check if it was true.

If Dogo had thoughtlessly drawn his sword to confirm, the battle would have ended immediately in Yeongwoo's victory.

'Damn, it failed, didn't it?'

Just as Yeongwoo regretted that his shallow trick had failed, a very angry voice emanated from within the helmet of the First Prince, Dogo.

- Bastard?

But the level of anger wasn't normal.

No matter how low the provocation, the prince, who had been relaxed until a moment ago, shouldn't have been this enraged.

'...Huh? What... what is this?'

Yeongwoo began to realize something was wrong.

At the same time, Desirak, with black eyes, lay flat on the ground as if he were bowing down.

As if signaling that the prince was furious, and something terrible was about to happen.

‘Hey, what’s wrong?’

Seeing Desirak bowing his head to the ground, Yeongwoo instinctively took a step back, then belatedly realized something.

"Oh...!"

At this point, during the period that this dungeon had recreated—the time of 'Prince Dogo'—there were no Bastard in the Vesedel royal family.

In other words, the sword in the scabbard had never been Bastard in the first place, and Dogo didn't even know such a sword existed.

'Th-then...'

Even so, why did the First Prince Dogo become so enraged at the mention of a "bastard"?

'Ah.'

The First Prince of the Vesedel royal family, Dogo Vesedel, was actually a bastard child.

And this prince, later on...

'Directly killed a transcendent being and used that legacy to create the mythical Bastard...'

It was in that moment that Yeongwoo understood why the chairman had once said, "I am the myth."

"Wait! Then, Prince, you really are a bast...!"

Just as Yeongwoo, having suddenly realized too much, was about to say "bastard child" again...

BOOM!

A dark blue aura suddenly enveloped Yeongwoo's surroundings, and the furious Prince Dogo came flying at him like a tidal wave.

- Feel the eternity in the void!

"Gah!"

In an instant, Yeongwoo, grabbed by the head by the prince, was helplessly slammed into the wall.

CRASH!

According to the original design, the boss battle was supposed to end the moment the challenger defeated the bodyguards and faced the prince for the first time.

But because Yeongwoo, who knew too much about the real Dogo, appeared as the challenger, everything got messed up.

This was because the "Dogo" within this dungeon had been recreated with an almost perfect level of fidelity, and therefore...

- Vanish!

...his power was also implemented to a level close to the original.

That was why a strange symbol was already being drawn around the wall-pinned Yeongwoo.

It was dimensional magic, opening a door leading to the void.

Of course, Yeongwoo didn't know this, but he could instinctively tell that something terrible was happening.

'I... I think I'm screwed? Chairman, isn't this an NG?'

Yeongwoo looked at the ceiling with desperate eyes, but there was no response.

It meant he had to solve this situation on his own.

'What... what should I do?'

Under Dogo's overwhelming power, Yeongwoo's hands and feet were completely immobilized.

This crazy prince was really determined to lock him, a mere creature, in the void.

This was the price of calling a bastard child a bastard child.

"Hey, Black Eyes! Stop the prince! This is against the rules!"

Yeongwoo cried out for help from Desirak, who was lying flat on the ground, but there was no response.

"Come on, damn it!"

In the meantime, the strange symbol had become semi-transparent inside, and the void beyond it began to reveal itself.

HOOO...

Though the void actually had no sound, to Yeongwoo, who was in close proximity to it, it felt like the sound of a massive airflow.

He didn't hear it with his ears; rather, he felt the vastness of the void in his mind.

"Damn it!"

Was he, after all, just an insignificant creature who had overstepped his bounds?

Was all of this because Jeong Yeongwoo07 had challenged a life beyond what was meant for him?

"Ahhhh!"

As his mind began to be swallowed by the endless vastness, Yeongwoo desperately ran toward the still intact part of his consciousness, like a person running on a collapsing bridge. And with all his might, he shouted.

"You crazy bastard! I'm also a bast...!"

Suddenly, his throat tightened.

Could he have lost the ability to speak in the meantime?

"No!"

It was the opposite.

"「Bastard chiiiiiild」...! I'm a bastard child too! You crazy bastard child!"

Flash!

The moment Jeong Yeongwoo07 pronounced 「Bastard」 a faint but intangible wave spread out from him, and simultaneously, Dogo removed his hand from Yeongwoo's head.

- What...?

It was because he had understood the transcendent language he had just heard: 「Bastard」.

The second transcendent language that Yeongwoo had learned, 「Bastard」 was a complex mixture of Yeongwoo's own history and information about the myth of the 「Bastard」.

- ......?

The past echo of the First Prince Dogo, recreated by Chairman Dogo, now had a shocked expression in his eyes.

Hadn't he indirectly glimpsed a part of his own future through the meanings embedded in 「Bastard」?

The image of Chairman Dogo, who had forged the myth and created the Bastard himself.

Thus, according to that future, or rather that "present," Dogo himself, who existed here now...

"Your Highness, it's time to rest. My apologies for earlier."

A voice was heard from Yeongwoo's chest, causing Dogo to quickly tilt his head.

Then...

Thud!

A creature was already in his field of vision, its hand on the hilt of his sword.

- You... no, I...

The prince's voice wavered. He had understood too much in that brief moment, including the fact that the timelines of this creature and himself did not align.

If this Dogo had been recreated precisely from the chairman's past, wouldn't his deductive abilities also be extraordinary?

So Yeongwoo drew his sword before his opponent could complete his deductions.

Slash!

The prince, who had cast an imposing shadow just moments before, suddenly dispersed into a cloud of smoke.

"Ah."

Desirak, who had been bowing on the floor, and the other royal guards on the ceiling, all followed suit.

Now, the only things left in the room were Yeongwoo and...

Swish.

...the prince's weapon, still in Yeongwoo's hand.

「Prince's Command Sword」 - Dungeon Item

【You have obtained control over the Vesedel royal guards.】

As expected, Prince Dogo's weapon was a gray longsword, and it was indeed a dungeon-exclusive item.

The fact that the First Prince was the commander of the guards was no lie.

'Wait, does this mean...'

Could it be that he now had control over all the guards in the fortress?

As Yeongwoo's eyes widened with the realization, the system message appeared.

「You have survived the boss battle.」

「As you provoked the boss into a record-breaking rage, you have been awarded 5 additional moral points.」

It was the confirmation that the boss battle had been successfully completed.

Along with this, Yeongwoo's moral points increased significantly.

Flash!

[Moral Points: 14]

'Ah, I guess it's time to leave.'

After checking his points, Yeongwoo glanced around the prince's chamber before turning to see the exit door opening right on cue.

Rumble.

He had defeated the dungeon boss without swinging his sword even once.

"Ye... Yeongwoo?"

Soon, a voice called out from the central corridor outside the door, and Yeongwoo tossed a sword to Ottavio.

Whoosh!

"Thank you, it was very useful."

Yeongwoo said this as he now held the "Prince's Command Sword" in his hand.

"Huh? That's..."

Then, Anubhav, upon seeing Yeongwoo's new sword, looked surprised.

To which Yeongwoo finally pointed east and said,

"This is the key that will get us out of here. You can all relax now."

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

* * *

Now, to the east.

Just knowing that they were finally heading toward the exit made Ottavio and Anubhav's expressions brighten.

With Jeong Yeongwoo, who was undoubtedly the strongest among all the participants, leading the way, escape was only a matter of time.

Especially...

Clink, clink!

The royal guards trailing in line behind the three of them, including Yeongwoo, were a sight to behold.

"...Unbelievable."

Anubhav muttered repeatedly in disbelief.

This was something no one could have imagined.

Who would have guessed that an item allowing you to command elite monsters as your subordinates existed?

"......"

However, to Yeongwoo, who had been commanding mutants as slaves for a long time, this was nothing extraordinary.

"Being able to recruit every guard we encounter does make things easier... but it means I won't be able to gather more moral points."

Yeongwoo scratched his chin with the tip of the command sword as he spoke with a tone of regret.

Ottavio and Anubhav were left speechless.

'He's... he's insane...'

'His whole premise is on a completely different level.'

Of course, the royal guards weren't the only monsters in this dungeon.

The assassins encountered in the bedrooms at the beginning were scattered throughout the fortress, but since they weren't "elite" monsters, no matter how many assassins Yeongwoo killed, he couldn't earn moral points from them.

So, Yeongwoo had long since delegated the task of dealing with the assassins to the guards.

Thanks to that...

Clatter!

Every time assassins leaped out of the rooms on either side of the corridor, the guards in the rear would dash out like lightning and swing their swords.

It was like an automatic hunting system.

Slash!

Once again, a guard's large blade effortlessly severed an assassin's neck, and Ottavio, seeing this, moved aside and exclaimed in admiration.

"It's really incredible."

Then, following his train of thought, he continued his line.

"If a murderer had obtained this authority, by now, all the participants would have..."

He stopped mid-sentence, realizing he had said something unnecessary.

Hadn't that monster of a person just said, ‘It's a shame I can't gather more moral points’?

He could easily increase his score if he started using the guards to hunt down the remaining participants.

"......"

Sure enough, Yeongwoo, who was walking at the forefront, said nothing.

He was deep in thought.

Then suddenly...

"Eh, forget it. After that boss fight, I'm pretty sure I'm locked in for first place anyway."

In other words, he had momentarily considered hunting humans.

"R-right?"

Ottavio forced a bitter smile and agreed as the ceiling and walls of the building disappeared.

They had finally passed through the fortress and emerged outside.

'...The exit is really close now.'

As Ottavio stepped forward with a face full of anticipation, the sound of clashing metal rang out from a considerable distance ahead.

Clang! Clang!

"Oh, what's that?"

Anubhav, who instinctively realized it was the sound of blades clashing, cautiously moved behind Yeongwoo, while Ottavio gripped his sword tightly and stared ahead.

"Is it a lot of monsters gathered together?"

Ottavio cautiously offered his opinion, but Yeongwoo, who had checked the map, thought differently.

"The exit is just behind where that noise is coming from. So I think..."

Yeongwoo suspected that the remaining participants were fighting each other.

If someone was trying to collect moral points by killing other participants, the best place to do that would be right in front of the exit.

After all, all the participants would be heading there within the time limit.

And in reality...

Clang! Swoosh!

When Yeongwoo's group arrived at the dungeon exit, they found six participants already engaged in a chaotic battle.

"What the...?! These bastards!"

Seeing this, flames of anger ignited in Yeongwoo's eyes.

Ottavio assumed Yeongwoo was furious at the participants for blocking the exit, but the truth was far different.

"Oh no! Don't let anyone die!"

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"......?"

Dash!

Yeongwoo suddenly rushed into the battlefield, and the eight guards protecting him darted forward like arrows, slamming the six participants to the ground.

"What the—?"

"W-What's going on?"

"Guards...?"

The participants, who had been taken by surprise by the guards' sudden attack, barely managed to roll their eyes in confusion, only to see a gray longsword looming over them.

"Why are you fighting on such a fine day?"

"What?"

"What nonsense is this...?"

Hearing the unfamiliar voice, the six participants desperately lifted their heads to look at their opponent.

As soon as Yeongwoo confirmed that he had their attention, he extended a single finger.

"Only one early bird. The first person to bid will be released at the lowest price. Starting bid is ten million."

"W-what are you talking about?"

"What bid?"

Amid the confusion, one participant quickly caught on.

The guards seemed to be following the commands of the mysterious man.

There were even eight guards, and the two who had free hands were menacingly holding large swords, ready to strike at any moment.

"......!"

Once the "early bird" confirmed everything, he quickly raised his head and shouted.

"T-ten million!"

"Huh?"

"What did you say?"

"That idiot!"

As the other participants wore expressions of disbelief, Yeongwoo gestured, and the early bird was released.

The remaining five participants nearly lost their minds as they protested, and in the midst of this chaos, Yeongwoo asked again.

"How much should the next person pay to be released?"

This time, he directed his question at the early bird who had just gained freedom.

"......!"

The room fell silent for a moment, and then the early bird stared intently at one of the participants.

The person he looked at was none other than the one who had called him an "idiot" earlier.

"Uh... can I specify just one person instead of the next one?"

"Sure, do as you like."

Yeongwoo nodded in approval, and with a clumsy motion, the early bird slowly raised his hand and extended his fingers just like Yeongwoo had done earlier.

Swipe.

Five fingers.

Was he really going to bid fifty million?

As Yeongwoo's eyes widened at the unexpected turn, the early bird began to extend the fingers of his other hand as well.

"...One hundred million."

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]