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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 426: Sole Candidate (8)
"There’s not a single easy thing, is there?"
As Yeongwoo slumped to the ground, spewing poisonous blood from his chest, Jiseon approached in her human form.
— A… are you okay?
She had just witnessed a blade drive into her son’s chest.
Yeongwoo glanced up at his mother and said,
"I really almost died this time."
— Yeah, anyone could see that.
Jiseon nodded and turned her gaze toward the bisected corpse of Chairman Nezra.
— That guy’s really dead, right?
"Probably."
Chairman Nezra.
An alien of unknown origin, dispatched to Earth to prevent its worst moments.
— You did well. But wasn’t this guy supposed to be the strongest being on Earth? Not anymore, though.
Was he only the strongest on Earth?
Nezra was, in truth, the planet's final bastion.
As someone who would stand at the front lines during planetary crises, his martial prowess was practically cosmic in scale.
By nature, he was not an opponent that a mere native should have been able to face.
However, Yeongwoo07, long since derailed from his original trajectory, was far too powerful to be considered just a native.
In the end, Nezra died in the line of duty—a casualty of occupational hazards.
‘What kind of conviction did he have to stake his life on stopping me? Did he really think I was the planet’s greatest threat?’
Following his mother’s gaze, Yeongwoo’s eyes rested on Nezra’s corpse.
The alien worker’s sole purpose was the preservation of his assigned planet, Earth.
Thus, the fact that he ignored the board’s 73% support rate and proceeded with the duel anyway meant that he had been genuinely committed to the planet’s safety.
"In a way, he might have been Earth’s last loyalist… but now he’s gone."
— What do you mean by that?
"From Earth’s perspective, I mean. After all, Earth itself isn’t human, right?"
— That’s true.
"So, the only one truly on Earth’s side, despite being an alien, was Nezra."
Nezra had already lived through at least one complete life cycle and was now granted his final existence.
Yeongwoo knew this for certain because Nezra had said it himself:
— For us directors, there is no such thing as resignation. This is our final cycle. There is nothing after this.
Our final cycle.
Just as the thousands of other board members were the ancestral spirits of different eras, nations, and bloodlines, Nezra was likely an alien who had left a significant mark somewhere in the universe.
And if that were the case…
‘…Wait, does that mean there’s some form of reincarnation in this universe?’
It was a lingering question that had nagged at him throughout the fight.
The fact that individuals who had presumably died in the past were now serving as planetary directors suggested that others—himself included—might also be assigned a new life after death.
‘Come to think of it, I did meet Im Bonghee again at the bottom of that dungeon, even though he died on the first reset day.’
The mutants were possibly no different.
After all, his mother and his second uncle had also seen their first lives end when they became candidates for the reset’s erasure vote.
Perhaps, by choosing mutation, they had voluntarily selected their second lives.
— What? Why are you looking at me like that?
Noticing the change in her son’s gaze, Jiseon tilted her head, puzzled.
Yeongwoo shifted his eyes back to Nezra’s corpse.
"No, I was just wondering… What kind of being was Nezra before he reincarnated as a chairman?"
— Maybe he was a famous warrior or something? Judging by how he fought, he was no ordinary combatant.
Moreover, Nezra had shown a deep reverence for higher beings, which hinted at a great deal.
Yeongwoo, on the other hand, had carelessly tossed aside the 3rd-class existence’s signboard during the battle.
One could call it quick thinking, but it could just as easily be described as uncouth.
After all, he had no formal education about the universe.
He simply learned how to win, no matter how vulgar the methods.
In contrast, Nezra…
‘The chairman had a certain dignity. He was definitely well-educated. That’s probably why he died, though.’
In the end, even fortune abandoned him.
Mysteriously, fate—the energy of the cosmos—sided with Yeongwoo07.
And finally…
Swish…!
The two halves of Chairman Nezra’s corpse began dissolving into the air.
"Huh?"
— Hey, what the hell? Where’s he going?
The sight was eerily similar to how mutants disintegrated upon death, prompting Yeongwoo to blink rapidly.
If what Nezra had said was true, then this was the absolute end of his life cycle.
— This is our final cycle. There is nothing after this.
‘There is nothing after this…’
As Yeongwoo mulled over the deceased’s words, the chairman’s hand, still clutching his sword, was pulled into the void.
Shwoosh!
And then,
"Hey, wait!"
Even the sword Nezra had used to pierce Yeongwoo’s heart began dissolving into nothingness.
Unlike with other foes, there were no spoils to be claimed from the chairman’s death.
"W-wait! My Twenty-One Sword Mountain…!"
Alarmed, Yeongwoo hastily grabbed Nezra’s sword, but by then, half of the blade had already vanished.
"No way! He’s seriously leaving without leaving anything behind?!"
As Yeongwoo cried out in disbelief, even the chairman’s sword sheath faded from his grip.
And then—
Fwoosh!
Everything that once made up Chairman Nezra vanished.
Without leaving a single trace in this world.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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「Earth has lost its chairman.」
A brief notification message appeared, and the directors, who had been murmuring among themselves, simultaneously turned their eyes toward the sky.
— What, are they sending him off?
As the entire board observed a moment of silence, it became clear that they were indeed bidding Nezra farewell.
Though he had come from a different origin and held a different political stance, they still honored him, as he had now reached the end of his final cycle.
— S-shouldn’t we do something too?
Awkwardly removing her helmet, Jiseon glanced around, unsure of what to do.
Meanwhile, Song Jungho, who had quietly joined the board members in their silent tribute, muttered under his breath:
∴ The universe is starting to grow on me.
—You crazy bastard.
Meanwhile, Yeongwoo grabbed Bastard left behind in the chairman's place and addressed the directors.
"How far has the vote progressed?"
The directors, who had been silently bowing their heads, slowly looked up and displayed their respective colors.
Paah, pa-pat, pat!
Roughly 30% were green, 10% red, and the remaining 60% gray.
—...Pretty intuitive.
Jiseon’s remark was spot on.
Perhaps because they were all originally humans, they were using signals that would be easily recognizable to any Earthling.
Most likely, green meant approval, red meant opposition, and gray indicated those who had yet to cast their vote.
"So, only 40% of the total members have voted, with 30% in favor and 10% against?"
Yeongwoo’s brow twitched with displeasure, and the directors who had displayed red signals quickly concealed their colors.
"You bast— No, Directors. Are you still not thinking straight? You just witnessed it with your own eyes, didn’t you…?"
Yeongwoo raised Bastard and pointed it at the directors filling the hall.
"I’m sorry the chairman is dead, but honestly, isn’t this just a workplace accident? The chairman, in reality, was just a combat power gauge, wasn’t he?"
—...?
It was a claim difficult to agree with.
Jiseon quietly turned to look at her son, while the thousands of Earth directors, clearly flustered, seemed to share the same sentiment.
"Why was the chairman so strong? Wasn’t it because the universe granted him physical power so that Earth could maintain its planetary dignity?"
Was that really the case?
There was no way of knowing, as the directors offered no answer.
In fact, the directors had never once spoken directly.
"But the chairman is now dead. Why? Because he was defeated by a human like me."
Yeongwoo raised his thumb and pointed to himself.
"So, what does that mean?"
He posed the question to the directors but didn’t wait for an answer before continuing.
"It means that humanity has finally attained full sovereignty over this planet. It means that the chairman can now be replaced by a human."
Although Yeongwoo couldn’t claim a vote in the council, he had nonetheless proven that he could assume the chairman’s core responsibility: serving as the planet's final line of defense against external threats.
"The chairman was bound to this planet for life, meaning his combat power was fixed. But I’m different."
Then, Yeongwoo raised Bastard and pointed to the sky.
"I, we, will venture into the universe and continue to grow in a much larger expanse. One day, even the chairman will seem insignificant by comparison."
Fwaaaah!
Golden light suddenly burst from Yeongwoo's eyes.
It was a manifestation of his overwhelming aura.
"Vote for me. From now on, Earth’s dignity will stem from humanity's stature."
As the bandit lord, Jeong Yeongwoo07, declared this with his golden eyes blazing, the directors, who had been staring at him in a daze, began murmuring once more.
After all, the fact that a human like Jeong Yeongwoo had defeated Chairman Nezra was a remarkable feat.
And with the chairman gone, it was true that they needed a powerful figure to replace him.
But in return, what they would have to offer was...
—The directors must be facing a dilemma. If they really are ancient wraiths, doesn’t that mean they’re all people from the old era?
On the other hand, Jeong Yeongwoo embodied progress itself.
He was already half a spaceman, with one foot firmly planted in the vast universe.
∴ But wasn’t his approval rating already at 73% before the duel with the chairman?
Song Jungho scratched his chin.
∴ Humanity’s history is steeped in war. Those directors, who would have lived their entire lives in the era of conflict, would have no reason not to follow overwhelming power.
—What?
∴ You can only cry for peace when you have strength. If I were one of the directors, I’d have voted in favor too. That lunatic would be terrifying as an enemy, but as an ally, there would be nothing more reassuring.
Before Song Jungho could even finish speaking, the council resumed its vote.
Pa-pa-pat!
The wraiths, who had been displaying gray signals, rapidly began shifting to a single color.
Pa-pat, pat, paah!
That color was—
"...!"
Green.
The color of approval.
The council had ultimately decided to place Earth in Jeong Yeongwoo’s hands.
Paaah!
Finally, the last of the thousands of council members turned green, concluding the vote.
「The council has completed the vote.」
≪On the matter of granting Earth negotiation rights to Bandit Lord Jeong Yeongwoo07.≫
「Approval: 89%. Opposition: 11%.」
‘89%? Overwhelming.’
As Yeongwoo nodded in satisfaction at the result, a new message appeared before everyone’s eyes.
「The council has granted Jeong Yeongwoo07 the right to negotiate on behalf of Earth. |l||I, comply with the rightful authority.」
|l||I was Earth's unique code.
In other words, the system was ordering Earth to comply with the council's decision.
Then, right after, a message unlike anything anyone on this planet had ever seen appeared.
Paaah!
『Fucking hell.』
"What?"
『So much for good days.』
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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