Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 7: The Strongest Sword of Gumi (3)

Gulp.

Without realizing it, Yeongwoo swallowed hard, a heavy lump forming in his throat. It was the premonition of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity or danger looming ahead.

‘The Strongest Sword of Gumi… The moment I get this title, I’ll become the target of all the strong ones.’

Logically, refusing this opportunity would have been the right thing to do. Eventually, he’d encounter adversaries with comparable equipment but superior physical abilities.

‘But this isn’t just a simple title.’

Yeongwoo knew well that the tooltip in front of him meant more than just a “title.”

[Gumi’s Strongest Sword] – Unique Title

[Authority of the Strongest Sword]

[Gumi Sword Technique]

Because he already possessed an item with the same format.

[Early Bird] – Hero’s One-Handed Sword

[Extremely Lightweight]

In other words,

‘A title is also a type of item. The next two lines are special attributes.’

The Authority of the Strongest Sword, Gumi Sword Technique. Their exact effects weren’t immediately clear, but they seemed to have a significant impact on combat prowess.

Especially the “Gumi Sword Technique.”

Even just the “Extremely Lightweight” attribute of the Early Bird sword had a remarkable effect. What then could be expected from an option labeled “Sword Technique”?

“…”

As Yeongwoo pondered, the countdown began abruptly.

–Would you like to become the Strongest Sword of Gumi?

…The acquisition privilege will disappear in 5 seconds.

…4.

…3.

‘Damn it, they’re not giving me time to think.’

As time dwindled, Yeongwoo quickly reassessed the assets he had secured.

He now had a total of 133,000 Karma, including what he’ll receive from Yechan. On top of that, there’d likely be more coins in the pockets of the attackers scattered on the ground.

Additionally, the equipment dropped by the raiders, such as spears, axes, and hammers, were also types of assets.

So, in this situation, what would be the wiser choice: becoming stronger and attracting more enemies or avoiding attention to oneself?

‘No, the latter wasn’t possible from the start.’

Yeongwoo’s gaze fell on the silver blade of the Early Bird sword.

And just as the countdown reached one second, Yeongwoo hastily accepted the position of the Strongest Sword of Gumi.

‘I’ll do it, the Strongest Sword of Gumi…!’

Worried that he might have been too late, he widened his eyes. Soon, not only Yeongwoo but everyone in Gumi City witnessed the announcement.

[The Strongest Sword in the Gumi region has been chosen!]

[The current Strongest Sword of Gumi is ‘Jeong Yeongwoo07,’ 1 unit, 0 defenses.]

[Once you become the Strongest Sword, you can experience overwhelming growth.]

[Anyone can ascend to the Strongest Sword position through duels, the method of succession being ‘killing.’]

‘‘Killing’ is the method of succession…’

Yeongwoo felt a chill down his spine as these words echoed, and a colorful light gathered above his head.

And then—

Ping!

It created a single string of characters.

[The Strongest Sword of Gumi.]

It was none other than the title. As Yeongwoo expected, they affixed it above his head for everyone to see.

“Um… Mister.”

Yechan, who had been watching the scene in a daze, called out to Yeongwoo.

Turning his head towards Yechan, Yeongwoo soon realized the reason and fell silent.

‘This…’

As he saw it with his own eyes.

|Current region ‘Gumi’.

|The current Strongest Sword of Gumi is ‘Jeong Yeongwoo07,’ 1 unit, 0 defenses

The small text in the upper right corner of the field remained unchanged over time.

Essentially, anyone could now instantly check the region’s Strongest Sword’s name and battle records in real time.

‘A defense count of 0 likely means I haven’t defeated any challengers yet. Looks like there might be a constant stream of challengers for a while.’

In other words, it was currently a vulnerable period.

So, how many defense victories would need to be stacked up before more challengers stop appearing?

“…”

No matter how much one thought about it, it seemed like an insurmountable mountain.

With a somewhat gloomy feeling, Yeongwoo glanced at the shining title above his head.

Then, Yechan approached him, rattling something.

“Mister, what do we do about this?”

Curious, Yeongwoo looked over and saw Yechan awkwardly holding three weapons close to his chest, remnants collected from the assailants.

“What about the coins?”

“…Huh?”

Seeing Yechan’s confusion, Yeongwoo searched the bodies without saying anything and retrieved the coins.

7,000, then 4,000, and finally, the last person had 5,000.

‘They must have been quite vicious people.’

Given that they’d been provided only 3,000 as basic living funds, having more than that meant either robbing coins from others at the exchange or being an exchange person who barely managed to salvage some… But it was hard to say.

‘Well, would those guys who went after everyone else leave their points unused?’

This was a fact he knew from experience.

The evil individuales probably had a lot to do, so they wouldn’t level karma points unused.

Like Im Bonghee, his roommate.

On the other hand, those who still had points after all the sniping was done were relatively good.

Such as the police officer he had met at the first currency exchange booth, and even Ye Chan, who he had met at the Sword Mountain.

Clink.

Yeongwoo said to Yechan as he poured the coins he had taken from the bodies into his backpack.

“Let’s do the settlement properly once we find a safe place.”

Suddenly, Yechan’s face brightened.

“Oh… sure.”

For Yechan, sticking close to Yeongwoo was advantageous for survival. Moreover, this Yeongwoo was now the ‘Strongest Sword of Gumi’.

However, the Strongest Sword himself didn’t have much leeway.

“Did you say you wanted to use the spear?”

Yeongwoo spoke as he withdrew the axe Yechan was carrying and tucked it into the makeshift pouch in his backpack.

“There’s no room for the sword. You carry the rest. Use them in case of emergency.”

“Really?”

Rather than answering Yechan directly, Yeongwoo glanced briefly at the people gathering in the distance.

Then, in a subdued voice, he nudged Yechan’s shoulder and said.

“Of course. You’ve got to pull your weight now.”

***

Westward, then further west.

Yeongwoo and Yechan moved relentlessly along the arrow without stopping.

And they encountered numerous potential challengers.

It was all because of the title “Strongest Sword of Gumi” that could be seen even from a distance.

However, nearly nine out of ten retreated after getting a closer look at Yeongwoo’s armed state.

Even if they weren’t the Strongest Sword, facing someone fully equipped with a sword and shield was something they weren’t ready for.

But not everyone gave up instantly.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

“Are you really the Strongest Sword? I don’t believe it.”

A sharp voice directed at Yeongwoo.

A large individual had been following them from a distance of about ten meters since a while ago.

The guy only had an axe in his hand.

“Well then, come at me. What’s with the unsightly stance?”

Yeongwoo retorted, glancing behind.

Of course, since he was not a born fighter, he was just bragging.

However, if things continued like this, there was a chance another challenger would come and a 2-on-1 situation would arise, and he was cautious of being attacked from behind if he let my guard down, even for a moment.

That was probably also what that large individual was aiming for.

Although he was cowardly, he was employing the best strategy.

‘If I approach to attack first, they run away quickly… There is no obvious way to do this.’

Was this the life of a first-time Strongest Sword?

“People like me know it when they see it. I can tell just by looking at a person whether they’re an easy target or not.”

That guy was persistently provoking Yeongwoo, assessing his response.

Yeongwoo understood the implied threat of potentially facing more challengers in a short time.

And If Yeongwoo attacked, he planned to run behind him.

Eventually.

“Ugh, what’s this? It’s not just one or two.”

A seemingly tough new challenger appeared from the side of Yeongwoo’s group.

Even a duo this time.

They were more about their intimidating gaze and weapon combination than sheer size.

Especially the guy holding the shield – muscular and with a reddened edge to the shield – a clear sign of having used it extensively.

‘That probably means that he has used it to hit someone before.’

Yeongwoo sensed trouble approaching.

“What on earth are you guys thinking? It’s not like all of you are from a criminal background.”

As Yeongwoo spoke, the muscular man looked up at the sky and replied.

“All the higher-ups are dead, and everything has turned to stone. Isn’t the world already ruined? So, when there’s an opportunity, I’ll try to grab a little more for myself.”

“We don’t just kill anyone either. It’s just that you’re the Strongest Sword, and it seems like you have a lot, so that’s why.”

The dialogue from behind was the knife-wielder pointing at Yeongwoo’s backpack as he spoke.

Then, the large man interjected smoothly into the conversation.

“Hey, how about teaming up with me? If we waste more time here, more competitors will show up. Let’s split the loot fairly into thirds, and the title can be left to each one’s luck.”

Strong and persuasive… It was quite different from the tone and expression used when provoking Yeongwoo earlier.

“Not a bad idea.”

“Let’s do it.”

An agreement was quickly reached.

Upon this, Yeongwoo quietly informed his client.

“I will fight as hard as I can, but if it looks like there is no hope for me, find an opportunity to run away. Don’t die for no reason.”

However, Yechan’s response that followed was unexpected.

“Even if I run away, won’t I just face those people again and end up dying? Now that I have a weapon too, I’ll help in any way I can.”

Yechan gripped his spear so hard that his hands looked as pale as a corpse.

Meanwhile, the imposing figure in the distance was closing in with a large shadow.

Thud!

Simultaneously, from the side, the sound of two men’s shoes kicking the ground was heard.

Almost simultaneously, a joint attack took place.

‘It’s do or die.’

Thud.

Yeongwoo pushed Yechan aside as a signal to keep a distance and pulled his shield close, taking a defensive stance.

He planned to withstand the initial assault somehow and deal with them one by one.

However, the opponents were not letting their guard down and scattered Yeongwoo’s attention by attacking from three directions.

Shwaaat!

“…!”

In the blink of an eye, they closed the distance. The pressure was different from the previous opponents.

‘You damn…!’

With no time for tactical considerations, Yeongwoo instinctively made a decision.

“Huaaah!”

While guarding the left side with the shield, he swung the Early Bird to the right.

Hwaaeaaat!

A silver streak cut through the air.

Then, in quick succession…

Paaah!

Around Yeongwoo, a golden shockwave erupted.

“…?”

“Ugh?”

Even the three challengers, who were about to attack Yeongwoo, stopped in their tracks. It was because a sudden intense pain erupted, as if their hearts were about to burst.

“Ugh…!”

The same was true for Yechan, who looked at Yeongwoo to see what was going on, but immediately stiffened.

The eyes of the Strongest Sword were glowing in a golden hue.

“What…?”

Not knowing what this strange phenomenon was, Yeongwoo shook his head, and the golden glow left a dizzying trace in the air.

“Is this?”

Only then did Yeongwoo realize what it meant.

He looked up, and as usual, titles and tooltips appeared.

[The Strongest Sword of Gumi] – Unique Title

[Authority of the Strongest Sword]

[Gumi Sword Technique]

‘The Authority of the Strongest Sword, could it be…’

As Yeongwoo’s eyes widened, the large man swung his axe again.

Just barely managing to escape the influence of the Authority, Yeongwoo moved his body.

“Get lost!”

Hwaeaaack!

The axe blade flew with a heavy presence.

However, Yeongwoo wasn’t focused on that.

‘What is this…?’

Right in front of him was a hologram identical to himself, standing with his sword tilted at an angle.

And it didn’t take him more than a moment to realize that it was in a defensive posture.

Hwaeaat!

Youngwoo quickly copied the posture following the hologram.

Precisely at the moment when the axe blade hit the exposed edge of the hologram, it slid down to the side.

“…?”

Squish.

For a moment, the large man’s body shifted to the side.

And in accordance with that, the hologram pierced the edge of the man’s neck.

—Kill

The character ‘kill’ appeared at the point of impact.

‘Ah…!’

Without missing a beat, Yeongwoo quickly followed the hologram’s movements.

Hwit!

Under the weight of the axe blade, the previously tilted blade of the hologram sprung up with elasticity, and using that force, it pierced through the opponent’s neck like a lightning strike.

Fwish!

“Uh.”

“Huh.”

The attack was so fast that both the person who had stabbed and the person who had been stabbed had no idea what had just happened.

And then…

Kwoong.

The bulky figure of the large man collapsed to the ground.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

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