abcnovels
Chapter 64
Chapter 64
Chapter 64
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 64: Strong Tiger’s Early Appearance (1)
“What’s this again?”
Byungcheol, holding a gun, shouted with a face that seemed about to cry right away.
No wonder, considering that things beyond the common knowledge of the solar system were happening one after another.
Crack!
Even in the midst of this, black cracks, large and small, continued to appear in the jet-black egg.
“Could it be… hatching?”
As Yeongwoo opened his eyes wide, something flickered between the cracked surface of the egg.
It emitted a biological vitality in abundance.
Srip.
Something massive wriggled inside the dark shell.
“What… is this?”
Yeongwoo, who knew well that this was a souvenir left by advertisers, was still perplexed.
Being a weapon manufacturing company, he expected equipment items, not throwing some creature, especially of this size.
Moreover.
“Why is it so big?”
As Yeongwoo took a few steps back to properly gauge the size of the egg, a significant change occurred in the ‘souvenir’ that had only shown signs of hatching until now.
-Squeeeak!
Long cries accompanied black steam spraying from inside the shell.
“Huh?”
“Ugh!”
Just in case it was a toxic substance, all three people stepped back, and in doing so, an unexpected presence pushed its way into the space created.
Chug!
It was none other than.
-Squeeeak!
A large iron horse, about two meters tall, belonging to the mammalian order Perissodactyla, a livestock horse that had coexisted with humanity for thousands of years.
[PR/N: The name Perissodactyla means “odd-toed.” This group of ungulates includes horses, tapirs, and rhinos. The name of their order derives from the fact that their middle toe is larger than the others, and the plane of symmetry of the foot passes through it, a condition called mesaxonic.]
However, it couldn’t be confirmed whether it truly belonged to the Perissodactyla order, given its black iron-plated exterior and the black smoke emanating from its nose.
“That… could it be a horse?”
Jongsu asked Yeongwoo while awkwardly holding an early bird.
And around that time.
Chug!
The iron horse approached Yeongwoo, crushing the road surface with its steel hooves.
-Squeeeak!
The cry still sounded unfamiliar.
Due to the high stature of the iron horse, it exuded tremendous intimidation just by looking at it, but Yeongwoo was relieved to see the Dogo’s wedge pattern engraved on its exterior.
‘It seems to be Dogo’s product. I don’t know if it’s a real creature or a robot.’
Although its appearance resembled Earth’s horse, it couldn’t be known why Dogo left it as a gift.
Maybe this gift was a means of transportation, and that’s why they sent a similar type of gift.
Shwik!
As the iron horse took another breath, black smoke spewed violently from its nostrils.
Was that also a staged performance to mimic a ‘horse,’ or was it really a breathing animal?
“…”
Seeing the iron horse approaching and standing quietly by his side, Yeongwoo slowly raised his hand to its long neck.
Tap.
“…!”
The creature’s body, once touched, was surprisingly warm.
Like Earth’s warm-blooded animals.
However, the tooltip that appeared afterward clearly indicated that this existence was definitely not of Earthly origin.
?Negwig? – Unknown Grade
?Adapts to any planet.?
“…Negwig?”
As Yeongwoo muttered the name written in the tooltip, the iron horse Negwig fluttered its iron ears, gleaming with purple pupils.
-Squeak!
That creature’s name was indeed Negwig.
“Unbelievable.”
Jongsu, who belatedly realized that the iron horse was a gift to Yeongwoo, sheathed his sword and breathed a sigh of relief.
On the other hand, Byungcheol, as soon as he grasped that the situation was under control, felt an overwhelming anger welling up within him.
“No, damn it…”
It was because he realized that Icheon City had been sacrificed for the absurd business of that golden foreigner.
“Hey, you son of a bitch. Why did you have to come here of all places?”
Hwak!
The gun, now without direction, aimed precisely at Yeongwoo’s head.
But the trigger wasn’t pulled.
Before committing murder, Byungcheol, formerly a police officer, needed a justifiable reason.
But did the foreigner in front of him have any charges worthy of that?
Crimes like disturbing public safety by invoking the existence of space, rebellion, obstructing official duties—there was no way to define it.
Moreover, there were no direct casualties from this incident.
“This damn world.”
In the end, Byungcheol reluctantly lowered the gun.
He couldn’t find a reason to harm the other person beyond being angry.
Seeing him hesitating, Yeongwoo, who had been silently watching, bowed slowly.
“I’m sorry. I tried to find a place with as few people as possible just in case something like this happened…”
“Ah, it’s fine. Everything’s already messed up.”
After spitting out a bitter breath, Byungcheol shifted his gaze to Officer Kwon Taeyoung, who was cautiously walking over from the other side.
“Taeyoung.”
“Captain.”
Taeyoung also held a gun, but seeing that Byungcheol wasn’t in a combat stance, he let the gun hang loosely on the ground.
“It seems the situation is over.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. It’s very good to be alive.”
Taeyoung said this while still looking at Negwig with an unbelieving gaze.
“Anyway… what’s going to happen to us now?”
Taeyoung’s vague question almost perfectly represented the situation of the two police officers.
In an instant, their foundation of life, the city that made them exist as police officers, was lost.
On the first day of the reset, Taeyoung returned to the police station immediately, as he had no family to take care of separately.
Byungcheol, having been separated from his wife, naturally continued his police duties.
Ironically, only those without anyone to take responsibility for were carrying the ‘social obligation.’
To be faithful to one’s work, to uphold the law…
Of course, now even the place to fulfill these obligations has disappeared, but still, the two men remained police officers.
“Taeyoung, let’s go to Seoul.”
“Yes? Seoul?”
At the mention of Seoul, an instinctive fear flashed in Taeyoung’s eyes.
Until now, not only lawless individuals from the provinces but also looters from Seoul had invaded Icheon, and all of them were ruthless in both skill and character.
“Yes, Seoul. What are we going to do by staying here? Are we going to become robbers starting tomorrow?”
“That’s not it.”
Taeyoung made a dreadful expression.
Both Byungcheol and Taeyoung were inherently not likely to become villains.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
That’s why they continued to protect the police station even after the reset.
“Then, let’s go and see how fucked up it is there.”
Byungcheol said this while opening the revolver’s cylinder to check a single bullet.
Click.
Taeyoung also had only one bullet in his gun.
In other words, entering the lawless zone that was Seoul while continuing to be police officers was practically suicidal.
“…”
At this, as Taeyoung tightened his grip on the gun, trying to put on a resolute expression, Yeongwoo interjected into their conversation.
“You’re going to Seoul? How is the situation there?”
“…?”
“Hmm?”
* * *
Seoul.
The largest city in South Korea with a population of 9.43 million.
Considering commuters from Gyeonggi Province and elsewhere, the actual population staying in Seoul would be much higher.
Moreover, the time when the ‘reset’ occurred was around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the time when the population in Seoul was at its peak.
What exactly happened in Seoul at that time?
“The currency exchange center tore people apart, completely ruining the situation. An uncontrollable panic situation must have occurred.”
According to Byungcheol, the appearance of the currency exchange center made people leave their places they were guarding, in other words, their workplaces, changing everything.
The social structure that had been maintained, at least in form, was destroyed in one fell swoop.
Afterward, through the looting battle at the currency exchange center, morality was broken, and most conflicts were resolved through duels between the parties instead of police calls.
“Probably, seeing people in police uniforms turning into robbers, everyone realized. The end has come in the worst possible form.”
Taeyoung, staring into empty space with a vacant gaze, was describing the scenes he had personally witnessed yesterday.
The sight of his poilce station colleagues threatening citizens and robbing them.
“Even though the population of Icheon is only 220,000, there were incredible events. Children organizing robbery gangs… Well, they weren’t much different from the adults.”
Saying this, Byungcheol habitually searched for his cigarettes in his pocket, then made a bitter expression.
“Even if everything didn’t turn to stone, it wouldn’t have turned into a lawless land so easily.”
Just as the military has a deterrent effect on war just by its presence, law enforcement also has a deterrent effect on crime.
However, due to the all-encompassing petrification phenomenon, all deterrent forces disappeared.
There were no CCTV cameras anywhere, and even if a murder occurred on the street, it couldn’t be reported to the police.
In other words, the deterrent forces that operate in the majority of situations have become solely dependent on individual morality.
“In fact, only the area near City Hall and Terminal is managed here. We don’t know what’s happening in the reservoir area below.”
So how serious could the situation be in Seoul, which is much larger and more complex than Icheon?
“I heard that they dominate even the monsters from the Gyeonggi region in Seoul. I also heard that they might harm people.”
When Yeongwoo subtly brought up the rumors he collected while passing through Yeoju, Byungcheol showed a hint of recognition.
“Yes. I went there once too. They even gave themselves new names… what was it?”
At this point, Taeyoung, who had been listening, chimed in.
“Hunters.”
“Oh, right. Hunters. Probably named because they hunt monsters. So, in essence, we should consider them as criminals who happen to be strong enough to avoid punishment.”
Byungcheol’s forehead wrinkled as he recalled the memory.
Even though they were able to make those guys turn around peacefully thanks to the guns, the unpleasant glares they received were not easily forgotten.
“So, are you going to Seoul just to punish those so-called hunters?”
As Yeongwoo alternately examined the two guns, each holding only one bullet, Byungcheol cleared his throat.
“We need to see the situation in Seoul first. If really absurd things are happening, we have no choice but to suppress them with force.”
While saying this, Byungcheol added that there might be police officers like them in Seoul.
People who are trying to maintain order in any way possible.
“We need to let them know that law enforcement still exists. That way, at least some form of deterrent will be established.”
“…”
But can they survive even a day in Seoul with just two bullets?
Yeongwoo felt both respect and sympathy for the other side.
Then, suddenly, his vision flashed, and a new quest appeared.
Tang!
[Dogo] “Strong Tiger’s Early Appearance”
Engage in 0/2 duels with targets with a total ability score of 3,000 or higher.
5 million karma
You must disclose the fact of Dogo’s support in this duel.
‘Huh…?’
It finally came.
Dogo’s exclusive quest.
Reading the quest content with half expectation and half concern, Yeongwoo paused at the part where the total ability score of the duel targets had to be 3,000 or higher.
A total ability score of 3,000 means that the target has acquired at least 3 million karma.
In other words, it referred to the most Strongest Swords who monopolized the rewards for mutations.
‘Either a Strongest Sword or someone at the Strongest Sword level, I have to fight twice.’
And as far as Yeongwoo knew, there was only one place around here where such a mission could be quickly accomplished.
That was none other than…
‘Seoul.’
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]