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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 384: A New Family (5)
∴ A hundred days?
“Yes. A hundred days.”
∴ Why a hundred days? Are you lying?
Yeongwoo could only shrug at the skeptical question.
There wasn’t a particularly grand reason behind it.
The reason Yeongwoo set his second uncle’s release deadline to 100 days was simply:
“Because a hundred days is enough time for a beast to become a person. Imagine how much change could happen here in that time. After 100 days, we might not even need Uncle’s help anymore.”
∴ Might not need my help anymore? Hey, it might be no big deal to you, but to me…!
“I understand what you mean. But when I make a promise, I keep it. I’ll release you within 100 days, no matter what.”
Yeongwoo reassured him again.
And truthfully, the probability of not needing his uncle—or the help of Aratubank—after 100 days was quite high.
After all, it only took 8 days to rise as the Strongest Sword of the Korean Peninsula and launch Metal Seoul in Dogo Special City.
Besides, who knew what kind of butterfly effect today’s wedding of his parents might set in motion?
‘A hundred days should be enough, right? By then, I’ll probably have a few more pieces of mythic equipment. And considering Lord Bang’s face, I’ll have to return Aratubank eventually anyway.’
Of course, this was just wishful thinking, but Yeongwoo decided to trust the energy of the universe surrounding him.
He believed he could achieve several times his current growth within the next 100 days.
“You have no idea how big a deal my mother’s wedding is going to be, Uncle. And today’s only the 8th day since the reset. So 100 days will be more than enough.”
As Yeongwoo spoke confidently, four brilliant blue beams of light suddenly shot down from the sky.
Fiaaaat!
“What?”
∴ W-what is that? Again?
While Song Jungho, now trapped in a coffin unable to move, panicked, the beams passed through the airspace of Gwangjin District and struck the ground.
Paaaat!
“It’s not an attack.”
Expecting another flower arrangement or bombardment, Yeongwoo instinctively raised Aratubank above his head, but then lowered it again.
Seeing this, Song Jungho asked, almost as if doubting his sanity:
∴ What are you doing? Aren’t you preparing to fight? Do you even know what that is?
“I think I do.”
∴ What?
Meanwhile, Yeongwoo glanced at his watch to check the time.
Current time: 1:49 PM.
The beams that had descended across Seoul were already fading, and, from afar, Yechan was running toward him.
He was probably coming to report that all the mutants in Gangnam and the surrounding Seoul area had been dealt with.
“Uncle!”
As Yechan approached, waving his arms enthusiastically, Yeongwoo nodded and asked first:
“What about the mutants?”
“I’m on my way to deliver the message that they’ve all been cleared. All that’s left is to collect the orbs in Gangnam.”
Yechan pointed toward Gangnam as he spoke.
Yeongwoo placed a hand on Yechan’s shoulder and said:
“I have a lot to do here today, so you handle the Golden Rain.”
“…Me?”
“From now on, you’re acting mayor of Metal Seoul. When I’m not around or too busy, you’ll take care of things.”
Effectively, he was assigning unpaid cleanup work to a mere high school student, but Yechan hadn’t realized that yet.
“Really? I’m acting mayor?”
“Make sure to let Suna know as well. She’ll take care of the details.”
In reality, the acting mayor was practically Lim Suna, who, as Yeongwoo’s assistant, was more familiar with his weekly schedule than anyone else.
Still, parts of the schedule were tasks that only someone at the level of the Greatest Swordsman could handle.
Like dealing with the mutants that had fallen in Gangnam.
“If you’re not sure about something, ask Suna. Oh, right.”
Yeongwoo glanced at the beams of light scattered across Gwangjin District as he spoke.
“Since today’s a special day, no protection fees will be collected.”
He didn’t bother mentioning that he planned to collect wedding gifts instead.
“…Then what should I do today?”
“You’re attending the wedding, of course.”
As Yeongwoo said this, he pointed to the beams of light in Gwangjin District.
The beams thickened to about four or five times their original size, becoming true pillars of light.
“Huh? Wh-what?”
The sight, which reminded one of monster or mutant markers, startled Yechan.
Yeongwoo clarified:
“No need to be nervous. It’s just marking the wedding venue.”
“What?”
Even Yeongwoo was initially unsure what it was.
But after noticing that connecting the beams with imaginary lines created a massive rectangle, he realized.
Those beams were location markers sent by Hammer of Kwaya.
They were likely confirming the wedding venue location before construction.
‘They’re so meticulous, probably because they’re used to building prisons.’
Of course, the next step would involve actual construction materials descending, so precise positioning was essential.
“Wait… Is that our wedding venue?”
Jeonggu stared at the light pillars with his jaw dropped.
“…It’s huge.”
“The guests are huge too.”
Both in terms of existential scale and physical size.
Especially with Mara—it was impossible to predict what form they might take.
“Out of all the companies I could hire, Hammer of Kwaya had the most experience dealing with various aliens. There’s a reason they planned the venue that big.”
The wedding venue they were looking at was an enormous rectangle, about 2 kilometers wide and 5 kilometers long.
“Can you even manage guests in a venue that big?”
Jeonggu still seemed worried, but Yeongwoo answered without hesitation:
“They’ll manage. It’s a wedding venue built by a prison company, after all.”
The entire area likely wasn’t just for the main ceremony hall.
The order included a direct passage from the “tower” for Earth-based guests, a docking area for alien guests’ ships, and a vast lobby with an execution platform.
‘The venue installation today costs 1.22 billion. They’d better make it worth it.’
Available Karma: 976,969,405
Available Defense Budget: 0
After paying taxes last night, Yeongwoo was left with approximately 970 million karma.
On top of that, there was a national tax of around 80 million karma waiting to be collected.
"The defense budget for the Korean Peninsula, 82,443,375 karma, is pending collection."
This was the tax remotely collected from the people of the Korean Peninsula the previous night.
‘Last time, it was about 78 million. It’s increased quite a bit since then.’
The defense tax, in this world, was levied at a rate of 6.8% on the income exceeding the minimum amount required for survival per individual.
In other words, the higher the citizens' income, the more defense tax would be collected.
Currently, the national income was heavily influenced by factors such as the total amount of golden rain falling in the region and the stable completion of daily quests.
‘Is there no way to increase that income further? No matter how well the rotation of daily quests is optimized, there’s a limit to the final income because the number of golden spheres is fixed.’
As Yeongwoo pondered this problem, he couldn't help but look up at the sky again.
The vast world beyond the sky—space.
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‘If only we could take on jobs from space. At this rate, not just the nation, but the planet itself might stop growing, and someday, the income could completely vanish.’
This had been a concern he had often thought about.
The karma that had become Earth’s universal currency since the reset.
Currently, a significant portion of Earth's karma production depended on the golden rain.
A minimum of 30,000 karma per person.
This could only be barely achieved by completing dozens of daily quests through inter-regional agreements and rotations.
But what if, one day, no more mutants appeared?
What would happen then?
‘The income of all survivors would drop to less than half, and my defense budget would also plummet. It would be difficult for anyone to earn more than the minimum survival amount.’
However, it was inevitable that mutants would eventually stop appearing.
This was because the number of mutants created through the extinction vote was finite.
At most, there might be a few thousand left.
Perhaps the remaining mutants were already close to being exhausted.
Ironically, one of the calamities of the reset world—the mutants—had become its gold mine.
‘I need to switch the karma supply system from the mutant-based model to something else before it’s too late.’
While Yeongwoo was engrossed in these highly innovative thoughts, "it" began to fall from the sky.
BOOOOOOM!
The actual components of the wedding hall that was to be set up shortly had begun descending.
“Yeongwoo?”
As black chunks of metal fell from the sky, Jeonggu called out to his son in a frightened voice.
However, Yeongwoo didn’t comfort his father.
Instead, he pointed to the sky and said:
“Take a good look. That’s going to be the wedding hall where you two will walk in later.”
“That’s really the wedding hall? No matter how you look at it...”
Jeonggu’s voice trembled.
The components falling from the sky looked terrifying and bleak.
All of them were either black or dark gray metals.
Clang! Clang!
Soon, the metal structures pierced through the sky and began descending sequentially onto the wedding hall site.
THUD!
It was as if the components had been sent down in the order of construction.
Massive black chunks of metal landed at the four corners of the site marked by beams of light, digging into the ground.
‘...Are they starting with the groundwork?’
Yeongwoo’s jaw dropped.
The time was 1:58 PM.
There were about 25 minutes left until the promised time for the wedding hall installation by "Kwaya’s Hammer".
Judging by what was happening now, it seemed like the materials still descending from above would methodically build the wedding hall from the ground up within the next 25 minutes.
The leveling of the wedding hall site, spanning several kilometers, had already begun.
Rrrrrrr!
The metal structures that had earlier dug into the four corners of the site were now rolling around, solidifying the ground across the expanse.
Then, massive circular saw-like objects fell from the sky and began carving out sections of the ground.
Ssssssssshhh!
The sight of saws several dozen meters in diameter spinning and moving around on their own was so surreal that even Yeongwoo’s iron will couldn’t help but be shaken.
‘S...Shit, what is this? Is stuff like this possible in space?’
It was a technology he desperately wanted.
At the same time, it made him worry.
If a space prison construction company had this level of efficiency, what kind of skills would Earth need to secure jobs in space?
‘Even if you put thousands of Earthlings to work, they wouldn’t match that speed. Then, what kind of jobs could we take on in space...?’
In the end, would piracy, like the Guppy of the developing planet Zargal, be the only realistic option?
PEW!
Finally, something flashed in the distant sky, and countless small star-like lights began raining down.
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
The star-like lights scattered across the flattened ground, and thick, wide steel plates soon began pouring down over them with overwhelming force.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
‘Oh, those lights must have been devices to secure the foundation, like screws or magnets.’
The steel plates quickly covered the ground, and another round of star-like lights was scattered.
Another layer of steel plates descended.
“It...It’s definitely going to be sturdy.”
Jeonggu, who had finally accepted that this was indeed his wedding hall, swallowed hard.
And then, finally—
FWOOOOOSH!
Unfamiliar structures began falling from the sky.
A long metal pillar resembling a flagpole appeared first, followed by menacingly sharp blades descending after it.
—What...What is that...?
Even Jiseon, who had been quiet until now, couldn’t help but speak.
Yeongwoo, thrilled, dashed toward the wedding hall site.
BOOM!
“They...They really built a guest execution platform for the ceremony...!”
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