Chapter 50

The Judge with the Longsword (3)

If humans and a car raced each other, who would win?

Yeongwoo could run nearly as fast as a vehicle, but the citizens of Chungju sprinting across the fields clearly could not.

Vroooom...!

The SUV carrying Yeongwoo's group, despite starting much later, overtook them all in barely ten seconds.

"W-Waaah!"

Seeing the SUV speed past them, the Chungju citizens screamed in terror.

Even the people running on the road threw themselves aside as Myeongho repeatedly blasted the horn.

To an outsider, it looked exactly as if—

"We really do look like we're invading Chungju."

Jongsu grinned excitedly from the passenger seat as he watched everyone flee.

He was clearly enjoying the sight of people running from them in fear.

Yeongwoo, on the other hand, lightly tapped the driver's headrest.

"Slow down a bit. It'll become a real headache if we accidentally hit someone."

Unlike the exhilarated Jongsu, Yeongwoo had no intention of causing trouble in this city.

Even if Chungju's First Sword came charging out in anger, he intended to settle things through conversation if at all possible.

...Unless they start swinging their sword first. Then I won't have much choice.

As he absentmindedly touched the Black Sword and the Early Bird hanging from either side of his belt, Myeongho suddenly spoke.

"Huh? There's something else up ahead. More people..."

"People?"

Leaning forward, Yeongwoo looked through the windshield.

Sure enough, three figures stood in the road.

Each wore a police uniform and was fully armed with swords and shields.

Behind them stood a massive blue stone gate that resembled a fortress.

They're using the Stone Gate as a checkpoint.

As the SUV slowed near the gate, the three uniformed officers exchanged nervous glances.

The Stone Gate had originally been built to collect vehicle tolls, but since the Reset, none of them had ever actually seen a working car.

"Uh... what brings you to Chungju?"

One of the officers approached the driver's window with his arm resting casually on the hilt of his sheathed sword.

Just as Myeongho lowered the window to answer—

"Emergency! Emergency!"

A frantic voice echoed from far behind them.

It came from the leading runner among the civilians who had been sprinting after the SUV.

"...!"

Only then did the officers realize that the SUV before them was the source of the "emergency."

Their expressions instantly hardened.

"Y-You people! Turn off the engine and get out of the car immediately!"

Shing!

One after another, they drew their swords.

Myeongho didn't move.

Because—

Yeongwoo was already stepping out from the back seat.

"We're not here to fight."

"Is Mr. Shin Myeongju the First Sword here? I'd just like to meet them."

Yeongwoo spread both empty hands to show he carried no weapon.

The officers, however, showed no signs of calming down.

From their perspective, they saw:

a vehicle with its engine still running,

an armed outsider carrying an Early Bird,

and dozens of citizens charging after them while screaming "Emergency!"

Naturally, panic took over.

"You bastard! Turn off the engine and get out!"

"You! Get on the ground! This is your final warning!"

Fear and professional duty collided, causing them to overreact.

Then one overly excited officer actually raised his sword toward the front of the SUV.

Whoosh!

The blade swung down through the air.

At that instant—

Yeongwoo moved.

Like a bolt of lightning, he shot forward and slammed his shoulder into the officer.

Thud!

Everything happened so quickly that the other two officers only realized what had happened after their companion was already lying on the ground.

"W-What...?"

Their eyes immediately locked onto Yeongwoo.

Sense temporarily increased from 100 to 127.
Sense temporarily increased from 122 to 141.

The Chungju officers had activated their countermeasures.

Through the Predator effect, Yeongwoo instantly evaluated their combat ability.

It was pitiful.

They had probably killed only a handful of monsters.

Even the holographic display from the Gyeongbok Sword Style judged that both could be killed within a single exchange, marking them with the Kill symbol.

Yeongwoo ignored the recommendation.

Instead of drawing his sword, he chose to display the Authority of the First Sword.

Flash!

Golden waves burst from his eyes.

The two officers froze instantly.

"Huh...?"

"Ghh...!"

Their hearts felt as though invisible hands were crushing them.

Then Yeongwoo quietly asked,

"Where can I meet Chungju's First Sword?"

The moment he withdrew his aura—

One officer collapsed to his knees, dropping his weapon.

The other...

"Ugh!"

...fell face-first onto the road and began vomiting.

His mental fortitude had been exceptionally weak.

Stepping aside to avoid the spreading vomit, Yeongwoo looked back at the officer he had knocked over earlier.

"As I said, we're not here to fight."

"Where can I find your First Sword?"

"..."

Still dazed, the officer slowly raised a trembling hand and pointed northeast.

"Probably... at Konkuk University..."

"Konkuk University?"

As far as Yeongwoo knew, Konkuk University was in Seoul.

Seeing his puzzled expression, the officer explained,

"There's a satellite campus here."

"If nothing has happened... they should still be on campus."

"I see."

The phrase they should still be there revealed something important.

The citizens trusted their First Sword.

"Then would you come with us?"

"Our navigation doesn't work anymore."

"We need someone to guide us."

"W-Well..."

The officer glanced around helplessly.

Yeongwoo shrugged.

"If we can't find the place ourselves..."

"...we'll probably end up repeating this whole process several more times."

"I think it'd be better to avoid unnecessary complications."

By "this whole process," he meant subduing more police officers or civilians just to ask for directions.

If blood happened to be spilled along the way...

That would be tragic.

...Though it was also unmistakably a threat.

Understanding exactly what Yeongwoo meant, the officer eventually nodded with a stiff expression.

Click.

The officer who had been guarding the Stone Gate climbed into the back seat with Yeongwoo.

Everyone inside stared with wide eyes.

"W-What's going on?"

"Who is this?"

"...Boss?"

Ironically, the most shocked person was the officer himself.

"Uh..."

"Is... this really okay?"

Unable to bring himself to sit down, he pointed beneath the seat.

—Kiit?

Curled up there was the Golden Goblin, Yeongwoo's Gold-rank slave.

"My slave."

"We're in a hurry, so please get in."

With Yeongwoo gesturing rather forcefully, the officer had no choice.

As soon as he climbed aboard—

The goblin frowned and silently moved to the opposite side.

Myeongmae also edged herself tightly against the window to avoid it, awkwardly clearing her throat.

It was an uncomfortable and bizarre seating arrangement.

Once everyone—and every creature—had settled in, Yeongwoo tapped the driver's headrest.

"Let's go."

"So... do we just follow this road?"

Myeongho asked while checking the rearview mirror.

The officer cleared his throat.

"If you circle around through Mungang-ri, you'll avoid the checkpoints."

"What if we keep going straight?"

"..."

The officer hesitated.

"You'd be taking the highway."

"The distance isn't much different, but there are additional checkpoints."

"There could be delays."

"Another Stone Gate?"

"Why are there more checkpoints?"

That question finally revealed the officer's true concerns.

"There's a densely populated district."

"There's also a national university nearby."

"So naturally there are lots of people."

"And more security personnel."

"It'd be better to avoid them."

"Security personnel...?"

Yeongwoo couldn't understand why so many people were still gathered near the university after everything had turned to stone.

More importantly—

The very idea that law enforcement still existed was astonishing.

Every city he had visited until now had completely collapsed.

There hadn't even been basic social order.

"In a situation like this..."

"How are you maintaining public safety?"

"Wouldn't the police need to be far stronger than ordinary citizens?"

"That should be nearly impossible."

"And even if it weren't..."

"Who keeps those powerful police officers under control?"

"If even one of them abused that power..."

"The entire system would collapse."

"Uh..."

Faced with Yeongwoo's barrage of questions, the officer began sweating.

He turned his gaze toward the driver's window.

Then—

"Oh!"

His eyes suddenly lit up.

It wasn't fear.

It was relief.

The moment Yeongwoo saw that expression, he instinctively knew who had appeared.

No way...

Looking out the driver's window—

Sure enough.

Far away, a lone figure was racing toward them at incredible speed.

Papapapapap!

Though still distant, the rapid series of impacts against the asphalt was unmistakable.

Someone was sprinting barefoot.

Having done the same himself, Yeongwoo recognized the sound immediately.

Chungju's First Sword came personally...?

But how...?

None of the civilian messengers should have reached the city yet.

Who had informed them?

Within moments, the approaching silhouette had become clear enough to distinguish facial features.

And Yeongwoo was surprised once again.

Contrary to everything he had expected—

Chungju's First Sword, Shin Myeongju22, was a middle-aged woman.