Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 281: Karma (2)

‘Huh? The head of the Military Affairs...?’

Yeongwoo blinked his eyes wide open.

「Desirak, Head of Military Affairs, is completing the grading sheet.」

The head of Military Affairs, who was filling out the grading sheet, was undeniably the same ‘Desirak’ that Yeongwoo had encountered in the dungeon.

‘No way, he's still alive?’

From being the personal guard of the first prince to the head of Military Affairs at an intergalactic arms company.

“…….”

What kind of life had Desirak lived?

It also hinted at something significant—that a royal guard from the royal family was now employed at a company.

This could imply that the Vesedel royal family no longer existed.

‘Of course, it could just be that he followed the prince he served out into the secular world… But Desirak served the chairman, who was the first prince, right?’

That would mean he was the destined heir to the throne.

In other words, if nothing else had happened, the chairman would have become the king of Vesedel by now.

But at least as far as Yeongwoo knew...

‘Isn’t the chairman not the king? He’s known as the “King of Destruction,” but I don’t think he’s that king.’

His thoughts became more complicated.

One thing was certain, though: the company ‘Dogo’ was founded by the chairman, who was once the first prince of the Vesedel royal family, along with his followers.

They had established the company with none other than the royal family.

「The grading is complete.」

Finally, the four instructors had finished grading, and the grading sheet of Desirak, the head of Military Affairs, whom Yeongwoo knew, if only from a distant memory, was revealed first.

[Head of Military Affairs, Desirak]

"An overwhelming sense of déjà vu, as if witnessing the chairman’s youth."

|Total score: 113/100

"Oh, department head."

Head of Military Affairs Desirak gave a score of 113 out of 100, exceeding the maximum score.

His brief comment also seemed to be sentimental, as if recalling something from the past.

On the other hand, the evaluation from the head of development, which was revealed next, was:

[Head of Development, Talgia]

"The second step toward transcendence."

|Total score: 101/100

‘101? That's a bit subtle...?’

He awarded 101 points, just one point over the maximum score.

It was a good performance, but perhaps he didn’t want to be too generous with the points.

The brief comment also seemed to have a double meaning.

- The second step toward transcendence.

This referred to both the name of the second transcendence language Yeongwoo had learned, as well as implying that Yeongwoo, who was once insignificant, was gradually transcending his origins.

‘But if it’s the second step, shouldn’t it be 102 points? That’s pretty strict.’

Still, the score spoke for itself.

The head of development was quite satisfied too.

The fact that he intentionally gave a score over 100 was enough to show his approval.

‘Well, then.’

As Yeongwoo looked for the next evaluation, the grading sheet from the shareholders' alliance was revealed.

Flash!

[Dogo Shareholders' Alliance]

"Judged as a favorable sign for the stock market. However, non-killing is somewhat disappointing."

|Total score: 92/100

‘Damn, what do these guys want me to do?’

92 points.

Although this was also a sufficiently high score, seeing it after the two prior scores that exceeded 100 made Yeongwoo feel frustrated.

Perhaps because the shareholders' alliance consisted of many members, they seemed to want Yeongwoo to follow the company’s existing policies as the company’s promotional model.

‘Still, the average score is over 100 so far.’

Currently, the total average score was 102 points.

Thus, the score from the final grader, the chairman, was extremely important.

If the chairman awarded a score that brought the average below 100, Yeongwoo might not be able to receive the hidden reward from the dungeon.

In other words, a minimum score of 98 was needed.

‘Aren't we business partners in developing Earth now? Please keep that in mind.’

As Yeongwoo mumbled this to himself while waiting for the result, a brilliant light spread before his eyes.

Swaaa!

Then, the title ‘Chairman Dogo’ was engraved in the air as the grading sheet he left behind appeared.

[Chairman Dogo]

"Surpassing the limits of violent business."

|Total score: 120/100

“Oh, oh…!”

A score of 120 points.

Yeongwoo, without realizing it, stretched his arms wide into the air and shouted.

“Chairmaaannn!”

And almost at the same moment.

Fwaaaa!

As the portal that had been holding Yeongwoo in place released its grip, his body was sent back to Earth.

Whoosh!

“Huh?”

Due to the sudden reactivation of the portal, Yeongwoo, who had his arms raised to the sky, stumbled forward and fell face-first to the ground.

Thud!

Immediately, Seoul's severe weather, with its intense cold and a massive snowstorm, engulfed him, but it didn’t matter.

「A reward for completing the dungeon will soon be delivered. Please prepare.」

Because he had earned an extra reward from the crazy dungeon that Dogo had created.

‘A reward delivery? Is it going to fall from the sky again?’

Lying on the ground, Yeongwoo looked up through the blizzard and noticed the two slaves who had been waiting for him at the exit tilting their heads.

- Kiit?

- Bat...?

And soon, their pupils reflected something.

Shhh!

A massive steel box, trailing a long tail like a comet, was cutting through the snowstorm towards them.

“...Huh?”

Yeongwoo’s expression became puzzled as he saw the reward being delivered in a box.

“It's not a Catalog?”

Until now, the extra rewards from dungeons had always been in the form of a Catalog, which was delivered instantly by the system instead of coming in a box.

In other words, if it wasn’t a Catalog, then what was it?

As Yeongwoo slowly stood up, the steel box accelerated and—

Boom!

With an ear-splitting roar, it landed right in front of Yeongwoo.

“...?”

The box was much larger than expected, almost the size of a container.

“Is there a monster inside or something?”

As Yeongwoo said this, the golden goblin dropped its ears to the sides and retreated.

Meanwhile, Pofu Tenta was already pulling out a trumpet from its belly, preparing to support him in battle.

This was the difference between a porter and a combat musician.

However, the situation didn’t escalate to the point where Pofu Tenta needed to play its dreadful music.

Clank! Clank!

Soon, a loud unlocking sound came from inside the steel box, and then—

Boom!

The box's lid was blown off into the distance with a powerful explosion.

“...?”

Then, all four sides of the box unfolded simultaneously, revealing the true identity of the reward inside.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Bweee...!

Seeing what was inside the box, Negwig groaned and raised its front paw.

It was no wonder, as the extra reward delivered from the outer atmosphere was none other than a suit of armor, the same as the one worn by the chairman.

The armor, standing upright on a large wedge-shaped stand as if it were alive, was immaculately clean without a single scratch, as if it had been taken straight from the body of the first prince, Dogo.

「Legitimacy」 - Vesedel Royal Armor

【Vesedel Royal Family’s Protection】

【Resilient Defense】

【Adapts to any planet.】

【Increases resistance to abnormal abilities by up to 5%.】

【--Empty Slot–】

【--Empty Slot--】

【--Empty Slot--】

◇ Dogo: Advertisement Space

‘What the... How many lines of options does this have?’

The armor had eight lines of options: two special options with separate tooltips, two regular options, three empty slots, and even a special Dogo option.

“...My God.”

As Yeongwoo approached the armor with his mouth agape, the tooltip for the special options finally appeared.

【Vesedel Royal Family’s Protection】

|This armor serves as a symbol of the royal family.

【Resilient Defense】

|30% of the damage taken is distributed over 3 seconds.

“Huh...?”

While the royal family's protection undoubtedly had some significant potential, what immediately caught Yeongwoo's attention was the "Resilient Defense."

Distributing 30% of the damage over 3 seconds essentially meant that only 70% of the initial impact would be applied.

‘The grade is just labeled as Vesedel. Is royal family equipment treated specially or something?’

「Legitimacy」 - Vesedel Royal Armor

The area where the grade of “Legitimacy” should have been listed simply read “Vesedel” without any other markings.

While equipment made directly by Dogo also had ◇ Dogo in the grade area, it usually came with additional indicators to show it was crafted gear.

However, "Vesedel" was being treated like an official grade, on par with unique, epic, or legendary designations.

It seemed to be a universally recognized grade, acknowledged across the entire universe.

‘What exactly does a royal family represent in this universe? If it’s recognized to this extent, there must be something truly special about it.’

With a suddenly tense expression, Yeongwoo approached the full-body armor, “Legitimacy.”

The armor had been sized precisely to fit his height and was designed to cover his entire body, excluding his head.

The helmet was missing, likely to ensure that he wouldn't look exactly like the chairman.

“Oh?”

It was at this moment that Yeongwoo recalled something.

"The statue!"

Wasn't the statue his friends assembled in the returnee's room the same as this?

'Wait, how did Toma know about this? And in advance, too?'

Just as a chill was about to creep down his spine, Negwig snorted behind him.

Pshhh!

-Kwii!!

Was it urging him to try it on?

Come to think of it, the third option of this armor was identical, word for word, to Negwig’s option.

「Negwig」 - Unknown Grade

【Adapts to any planet.】

While Yeongwoo didn’t fully understand Negwig’s background, it seemed likely that it had some connection to the Vesedel royal family.

"Alright, let's try it on."

Finally, as Yeongwoo placed his hand on the surface of "Legitimacy," the armor suddenly disassembled into hundreds of metal pieces that scattered in all directions before quickly enveloping him.

Chachachak!

“Ugh, argh!”

Pofu Tenta hastily blew its trumpet, but it had no effect on the armor.

“Why is it equipping like this…?!”

Stumbling in shock, Yeongwoo watched as "Legitimacy," now wrapped around his entire body, began to reform into a suit of armor.

Shrrk, clank!

This armor was designed to be worn in such an intimidating manner from the start.

Now fully encased in solid metal from head to toe, Yeongwoo’s appearance was unmistakably similar to that of the chairman, Dogo.

Yet, despite the striking resemblance, his humble origins were still evident.

Fwaaash!

As soon as the armor finished equipping, a holographic wedge symbol of Dogo appeared above Yeongwoo’s right upper arm.

“Huh, this is…”

The Dogo emblem was projected from the "Blank" advertisement tattoo hidden beneath the armor.

So the Dogo option attached to the bottom of the "Legitimacy" armor was actually a feature that projected ads even over the armor itself.

◇ Dogo: Advertisement Space

'Seriously? They’re so obsessed with advertising that they modified royal armor to include it?'

But then again, 「Dogo」 was fundamentally a for-profit organization.

Based on the shareholder’s assessment content, it seemed to be a cosmic mega-corporation listed somewhere.

‘Why are they working so hard for something like this?’

As Yeongwoo looked up at the sky in disbelief, he noticed a star twinkling at the tip of the tower lodged in Gangnam.

“...?”

Yeongwoo blinked and focused on the tower.

Then, a moment later…

Blink, blink!

The top of the tower flashed a couple more times.

The "brothers" were using the path that the vanguard had cleared to continue constructing the elevated road.

“No way, really?”

Yeongwoo quickly checked the time.

Swipe.*

Current time: 2:38 AM.

It was the dead of night, in the middle of a brutal cold snap, and yet the tower in Gangnam flashed once again.

Seeing this, Yeongwoo became certain.

“My God.”

While he had been struggling in the dungeon, the orcs... no, his "brothers," had been working through the night to build roads.

The thought of these "brothers," enduring the bizarre weather of various countries with nothing but the will to pave the way for vengeance, made Yeongwoo’s steel heart burn with emotion.

“They really work without any rights since they’re not human…”

Just then, another beam of light shot through the blizzard, heading toward China.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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