Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 309: Noble Family (1)

'Wha... what am I supposed to do?'

While in his mother's cold embrace, Yeongwoo blinked in confusion.

Instead of the "Complete Orphan" achievement resetting again, a new achievement related to a family had appeared.

[Noble Family: Restoration of the Roots]

|Complete the following three tasks. (1/3)

- Find both a mother and a father.

- Reunite your parents.

- Be blessed by your complete parents.

And the tasks for this achievement were clear to anyone:

'It's about recreating a family.'

It was unbelievable.

This mission directly contradicted his previous family-related achievement, the "Complete Orphan."

Instead of killing his parents, he now had to reunite them and seek their blessing…

At this point, what kind of absurd directive was this?

'No, seriously, how am I supposed to reunite them and get their blessing when the family is in this state?'

His mother, who had returned as a dragon and former head of a conglomerate, and his biological father, Kim Jeonggu, who was one of her worst nightmares.

Could he really succeed in "Restoration the Roots" with these two?

"......"

While some people were born into a complete family, Yeongwoo wasn't so fortunate.

What he had now were people who merely bore the label of "family" but were little more than strangers to him.

And Yeongwoo himself, who had to play the role of their son, wasn't even a complete human.

In other words, this achievement was not only a significant challenge for Yeongwoo, but also for the other two.

"Mother."

Feeling his biological mother's cold body, Yeongwoo called to her softly, and Song Jiseon, who was holding him, responded with a trembling voice.

—Y-yes, speak.

"If you really consider me your son, then give me a family."

—What?

Perhaps she hadn't expected such a serious conversation, and Song Jiseon instinctively pulled him away from her embrace.

—What exactly do you mean? You already have a family...

"No."

—…?

"What did you just call me earlier?"

At Yeongwoo's question, Song Jiseon fell silent for a moment, unable to understand his intent.

—...What?

Yeongwoo let out a shallow breath, as if his chest felt tight.

"You kept calling me your son."

—Well, of course! You are my son, whose son could you be?

When Song Jiseon raised her voice, feeling wronged, Yeongwoo shook his head.

"I'm also Kim Jeonggu's son."

—You son of a...

Song Jiseon's voice distorted instantly.

But Yeongwoo was firm.

"So call me 'our son.' That's where we need to start."

—Start? Start what?

Unaware of Yeongwoo's "Noble Family" achievement, Song Jiseon sensed something ominous and asked, and Yeongwoo responded while holding up three fingers.

"Becoming a family. The first step to being a family. I know it makes you sick, but please acknowledge Mr. Jeonggu as my father. And..."

—And?

"Recognize him as your husband."

As Yeongwoo added that last part, a sharp energy rapidly surged within Song Jiseon's icy armor.

Her blue blood was boiling with rage.

"...Damn it."

As Yeongwoo closed his eyes tightly, sensing what was to come, Song Jiseon's entire body turned blue as she gripped her greatsword with both hands.

Crunch.

—You crazy fool, you've finally crossed the line!

It was no surprise that suggesting she accept such a despicable man as her husband was a huge insult to her.

—I’d rather die than take that man as my husband!

As Song Jiseon ground her teeth and swung her greatsword wildly, Yeongwoo, also losing his temper, countered her attack as Bastard and shouted back.

Clang!

"Don't say too much you'll regret later! Kim Jeonggu can hear you from outside right now!"

And it was true.

As a dragon, her voice was reverberating not only throughout Gwangjin District but also to the outskirts of adjacent areas.

—Regret? Damn it, I already regret ever calling you my son! Die!

Swish!

Song Jiseon swung her sword with the intent to erase her son from existence, and Yeongwoo, overwhelmed by the new achievement, lashed back, heatedly.

"Damn it! Can’t you act like a mother, even just now?"

Yeongwoo had been sensing it instinctively for a while now.

The "Noble Family" achievement that appeared with his mother's return was the beginning of something far bigger than what was immediately visible.

And more than anything.

'The achievement’s name is literally "Noble Family." I’d bet my father that this has to do with establishing a cosmic family.'

Having seen how important status and background were in the universe many times before, Yeongwoo was determined to complete this achievement no matter what.

He had already completed one of the three tasks, after all.

"Listen to me! This is the first request your abandoned son is making!"

—Damn it, stop talking nonsense. You’re not my son...

Just as Song Jiseon, exhaling a cold breath, tried to deny her son again while locking swords with him...

Flash!

For the first time, Yeongwoo unleashed the full might of the Ultimate Sword in front of his mother.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

"Twice is too much! I won’t allow it again, ever!"

—Huh…!

Song Jiseon, seeing Yeongwoo’s eyes gleam with a golden brilliance, couldn’t help but let out a gasp.

She saw an overwhelming presence in his gaze.

Jeong Yeongwoo, the elected Strongest Sword of the Korean Peninsula and Mayor of Metal Seoul, Dogo Special City.

It turned out his ridiculous titles carried tremendous weight.

"You damn fools! You’ve neglected your child for decades—now at least fulfill your basic duty as humans...!"

As something beyond anger emanated from Yeongwoo, Song Jiseon couldn’t move an inch.

—I…!

Yeongwoo’s overwhelming presence completely crushed her blue heart.

"Let’s just all die! I’ll go back to being a complete orphan like I used to!"

As golden lightning began flashing from Yeongwoo’s eyes and he prepared to strike his mother with his sword...

"Y-Yeongwoo!"

A faint, weak voice slipped through the immense sound of the golden waves and the sharp icy wind.

It was a force far too frail to belong in this place, and paradoxically, that was exactly why he couldn’t help but listen.

It was such an alien sound.

“No! Yeongwoo! You mustn’t do it!”

Tap, tap!

Making a light tapping sound, someone dared to dash into the overwhelming presence of the strongest sword and the domain of the glacial currents.

It was none other than Kim Jeonggu.

A man whose title seemed laughable compared to the ones standing between the Sword of Korea and the Iron-Blood Empress, a man from Bulgwang-dong.

『The Strongest Sword of Dobong』

“Parent and child—it's a sacred bond! A sacred bond! You can’t sever it like that! It will bring you terrible karma…!"

Karma.

At this word, something deep inside Yeongwoo’s consciousness stung.

Perhaps it hit him harder because the one who said it, Jeonggu, was himself the person tangled up in more karma than anyone here.

“What do you know…!”

When Yeongwoo turned back with golden light gleaming from his eyes, he saw Jeonggu, skin frozen from the glacial currents.

His movements were slow, a weak “Strongest Sword” who barely managed to make it past the outer edges of the currents.

“Yeongwoo, let me apologize in this place. I’m sorry. I didn’t know about your existence and repeatedly denied you.”

“……”

“But even so, don’t become the kind of person who kills their own parents. That, I cannot accept.”

"...What?"

It was the very same line Yeongwoo had said to Song Jiseon earlier.

And it carried as much resolve as Yeongwoo had then.

“…Jeonggu.”

For the first time, Yeongwoo felt like the man before him was truly his father, though ironically, he couldn’t bring himself to utter the word 'father.'

Realizing that Kim Jeonggu had recklessly thrown himself into the glacial currents with no way out, Song Jiseon also…

—Damn it. It’s always the powerless ones who try to solve things with melodrama.

She dissipated the glacial currents just before the frost could reach the base of Jeonggu's throat.

Ssssshhh!

After all, he had come to save her, so it was only fair to return the favor.

Seeing this, Yeongwoo also withdrew the immense pressure of the strongest sword and rushed to his father.

Tap, tap!

“Why the hell did you come here again? Even if you save that person, they’re already coffin-bound.”

Jeonggu, now tinged entirely blue from the cold, trembled as he spoke.

“What are you talking about? What son carries their mother in a coffin? That’s not family.”

In response, Yeongwoo wrapped “Slime Core” around his father’s arm, healing him.

“This is all your fault anyway. My son is fine, but apparently our son isn’t.”

Even as Yeongwoo said this, he rechecked his family’s achievements.

There were only two tasks left to complete the achievement:

—Reunite your parents.

—Receive a blessing from both parents.

He wasn’t entirely sure what “reunite” meant, but seeing as the first task was fulfilled when Song Jiseon had, however reluctantly, acknowledged Yeongwoo as her son, it seemed…

—Obtain both a mother and a father.

“Once it’s done, the achievement will be complete.”

“…What? What will?”

“The reunion.”

“What are you talking about?”

Now that some vitality had returned to him, Jeonggu gave his usual fearful expression.

“What else is there? What is it?”

Even a dog learns from staying in a village for three years.

Jeonggu, having acted as Yeongwoo’s father for a few days, had learned this much—whenever his son spouted nonsense, there was always a reason behind it.

There was always a reason, whether it was a quest from those Dogo freaks or an achievement system notification.

And finally…

“There’s an achievement.”

Yeongwoo confessed the truth to his father.

“An achievement? What kind of achievement all of a sudden?”

“It says I have to rebuild the family. A proper one. It feels like a chain achievement, like the Golden Ratio one.”

“A proper family…?”

Hearing Yeongwoo's words, Jeonggu tilted his head in confusion with a complicated expression.

The achievements Yeongwoo had shared in the past were all a bunch of absurd nonsense.

“Well, isn’t that a good thing? In the end, you’ve found both your parents!”

As Jeonggu looked at his son with a mixture of hope and dread, Yeongwoo, who had finally made a decision, nodded.

“Not everything’s been resolved yet, but I’ve found them, yes. The problem is…”

“What’s the problem?”

Jeonggu urged for the next line, and Yeongwoo, glancing at the towering figure of his mother in the distance, whispered so she wouldn’t hear.

“It seems you’ll have to get married. Just think of it as a political marriage.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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