Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

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Chapter 343: The Path of Vengeance (4)

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At the condition laid out by Yeongwoo, the atmosphere at the scene froze as if time itself had stopped.

“…….”

— …….

-…….

There were three individuals: Swordmaster of London, Ben Walter; Song Jiseon, the guardian dragon of Metal Seoul; and Bantubangtong, the lord of the Red Foot Clan.

None of them could say a word, merely glancing between Yeongwoo and the transcendent text floating in the sky.

The most pressing question for Ben Walter was whether Mara would accept such an absurd proposition.

If, by any chance, Mara agreed to those terms, it would essentially seal Ben's fate as nothing more than a disposable pawn.

For Song Jiseon, on the other hand, it was simply too absurd to process.

While the wedding itself was little more than her son’s tantrum, it was still her ceremony.

And now, seeing her son turn even this sacred event into a profit-making scheme—it was almost too much to believe.

A monster truly gave birth to another monster.

Lastly, there was Bantubangtong.

-Little Foot?

He stared at Yeongwoo with a look of sheer devastation unmatched by anyone else present.

After all, he had trusted Yeongwoo’s pledge of vengeance against Mara, even going as far as hurling his clan members hundreds of meters into the sky and participating in the Great Naked War of Daemado.

And now, at this very moment, he stood there—still completely naked.

And yet, before him stood Yeongwoo, daring to say—

-Little Foot!

Boom!

Enraged, Bantubangtong slammed the ground with his massive red foot.

Then, pointing his sword at Yeongwoo, he declared:

-Little Foot! Put down Aratubank! I do not wish to sully this sacred relic with blood.

His demand was clear—leave the clan’s sacred relic behind and settle the matter here and now.

In other words, he intended to execute the traitorous "Little Foot" right on the spot.

Boom! Boom!

As Bantubangtong charged forward like an enraged rhinoceros, Yeongwoo whispered to Ben Walter:

“Hand over your weapon, and I’ll make sure you walk out of here alive.”

“…What did you say?”

Before Ben could react to the absurd suggestion, Yeongwoo punched him square in the face.

Smack!

Then, seizing the teleportation greatsword, Yeongwoo flung it toward his mother.

Whoosh!

This was, in fact, a preventive measure for Bantubangtong.

Handling the furious clan lord alone was one thing, but dealing with Mara's proxy on top of it would have been too much.

And finally—

-LITTLE FOOOOOT!

Bantubangtong swung his sword at Yeongwoo with murderous intent.

In response, Yeongwoo threw Aratubank toward him and shouted:

“Lord Bang! Calm yourself!”

Whoosh!

The sacred relic of the Red Foot Clan, Aratubank, flew through the air, and the sight of it immediately snapped Bantubangtong out of his blind rage.

His genuine reverence for the relic overpowered his fury.

-You…!

Though his sharp fangs were bared in rage, his hands reflexively let go of his weapon to catch the relic.

Thump!

As Bantubangtong cradled Aratubank in his arms, Yeongwoo tackled him to the ground.

Thud!

He toppled both Bantubangtong and the sacred relic in one move.

-Urgh!

As Bantubangtong lay sprawled beneath the relic, Yeongwoo climbed atop it and called out to him again.

“Lord Bang! Lord Bang!”

-Don’t call me with that filthy mouth! I’m no longer—

Before Bantubangtong could finish, Yeongwoo covered his mouth with one hand and whispered:

“Lord, our vengeance is still in motion! Don’t say anything you’ll regret.”

-…?

Bantubangtong’s pupils widened, but wasn’t this clearly another trick?

-Mmmph!

As he squirmed, trying to swat away Yeongwoo’s hand, Yeongwoo pressed his forehead against Bantubangtong’s and said:

“Lord Bang! There’s a saying on Earth: If you know your enemy and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles.”

-……!

Seeing a faint flicker of doubt in Bantubangtong’s eyes, Yeongwoo continued:

“If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory, you’ll suffer a defeat.”

When Yeongwoo recited only part of the saying without explaining, Bantubangtong’s confusion deepened.

Sensing this, Yeongwoo slowly removed his hand from Bantubangtong’s mouth.

After a moment of hesitation, Bantubangtong asked:

-What does that mean?

“It means that if you don’t know the enemy but know yourself, you’ll win half the battles but lose the other half.”

-Hmm… I see.

Even as a Red Foot orc, Bantubangtong couldn’t help but be moved by words that struck a chord.

-Is there more to the saying?

“Of course. Would you like to hear it?”

When Yeongwoo asked this, Bantubangtong made a face, as if his pride was wounded.

-I… might be a little curious.

Yeongwoo smiled and delivered the final line:

“If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you’ll lose every battle.”

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With that, Yeongwoo slammed his fist next to Bantubangtong’s head.

Crack!

“Not knowing the enemy and not knowing ourselves—that’s the situation we’re in right now.”

When Yeongwoo added this with a regretful expression, Bantubangtong tilted his head.

-…Why?

“Because we still don’t know Mara, and Lord Bang doesn’t truly know me. Nor do I truly know you.”

-……!

“Isn’t that why, upon hearing just one phrase about defection, you immediately doubted me? It shows how shallow our trust is.”

-T-That’s…

“And I, too, didn’t truly understand you, Lord Bang. I never thought you’d see me as a traitor so easily. You’re not as steadfast as I expected.”

-But, Little Foot! You called that scoundrel a lord!

In response, Yeongwoo raised his hand, showing the back of it, with his index and middle fingers extended.

"Lord. This title consists of two characters. One is 'Dae', meaning great. Both Lord Bang and Mara Lord share this character."

Then, Yeongwoo folded his index finger.

Schlk.

"But the 'Hyup' I use has two types. The 'Hyup' for Lord Bang is Heroic Hyup."

Finally, Yeongwoo slowly folded his still-raised middle finger.

"On the other hand, the 'Hyup' I use for Ma Lord is Insert Hyup (挾), the same as in the word for swindler."

In short, it was a nonsensical claim that he had never properly called Mara a "Lord."

-You scoundrel! Again, you mock me!

As expected, Lord Bang rebuked Yeongwoo, but Little Foot's cunning logic didn’t stop there.

"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never fear the result of a hundred battles!"

-……!

"To know the enemy and ourselves is the only way to fight without fear! How could I dare deceive myself?"

Boom!

Suddenly, Yeongwoo grabbed the top of the Aratubank.

"The reason this relic was taken from your homeland is ultimately because of Mara, isn’t it? But have you ever seen Mara in person?"

Lord Bang’s eyes widened at Yeongwoo’s question.

Come to think of it, though he had lost his homeland to Mara and was now tangled with him here on Earth, he had never actually seen the villain in person.

"Talking about revenge without even seeing the enemy in person? No wonder we lose every battle!"

-…….

His claim was flawless—so much so that it went beyond that, leaving one compelled to agree.

How could you defeat an enemy whose true form you didn’t even know?

"And so, I started scheming. Tomorrow, at my parents' wedding, I will summon Lord Mara. It will be our first time seeing our enemy in the flesh."

-Little Foot… Truly, you…

Touched, Bantubangtong's facial muscles twitched. Seeing this, Yeongwoo clenched his fist and spoke.

"Today, we truly come to know each other, and tomorrow, we will come to know our enemy! So please bear with me a little longer!"

As Yeongwoo whispered this and raised his fist high over the Aratubank, Lord Bang, startled, asked:

-W-What are you asking me to bear?

Without answering, Yeongwoo shouted so everyone could hear as he swung his fist.

“Lord Bang! Sorry, but in the end, it’s all just business…!"

Pow!

Yeongwoo’s straight punch landed squarely on Bantubangtong’s face.

-Urgh!

As Bantubangtong spat out red blood, Song Jiseon screamed and rushed to her son.

—You crazy bastard, what are you doing?!

Meanwhile, Mara, seemingly pleased with the scene, quietly erased the transcendent sentence and began withdrawing the strange aircraft hovering over Seoul.

Whrrrooooom…!

With its characteristic eerie sound, the jet-black manta ray began ascending.

"W-Wait!"

Seeing this, Ben Walter looked to the sky, as if pleading to be taken with it.

But before he could act, Yeongwoo, who had approached him from behind, grabbed him by the shoulder.

Clench!

"Can’t you see? They’re basically telling you to clock out."

"W-What?"

"They’ve basically abandoned you here. Lord Mara plans to replace his agent at tomorrow’s wedding."

Thanks to the universal language system, they were essentially speaking the same Earth language, yet Ben couldn’t comprehend his opponent’s words.

Terms like Lord Mara and wedding felt as foreign as alien tongues.

However, he did understand one thing:

"If I kill you here, it might provide some comfort to Lord Bang. Still, there’s a way for you to leave alive."

A way to leave alive.

These words made Ben’s eyes and ears perk up.

"What is it?"

"Take off your clothes."

"…What?"

When Ben asked again, Yeongwoo threatened him by brandishing Bastard

"Take off your clothes, you bastard. You need to return all your issued gear before quitting, don’t you?"

"……."

Under Yeongwoo’s threats, the Sword Master of London reluctantly began undressing, prompting Yeongwoo to deliver his next line.

"You’re coming tomorrow too, aren’t you?"

"What are you talking about? Where would I even go?"

"My parents’ wedding, of course."

"……?"

"Those who show up without wedding gifts will be beheaded at the entrance. So if you want to live tomorrow, bring money."

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