Chapter 51
The Judge with the Longsword (4)
"Huh...!"
Yeongwoo stared blankly at Chungju's First Sword as she sped toward them, her long hair streaming through the air.
Despite the overwhelming aura she radiated, her actual appearance was astonishingly frail.
Her arms were so slender that they hardly looked capable of wielding a sword.
Her pale lips and gaunt cheeks gave her the impression of someone perpetually ill.
Of course, in a world where Attributes determined one's strength, judging combat ability by appearance alone was foolish.
Even so...
On the very first day of the Reset, hadn't this fragile-looking woman fought her way through the Exchange Center's bloodbath?
Yeongwoo found it hard to imagine.
While he pictured what her first day must have been like—
Whoosh!
She made the first move.
Without slowing down, she hurled the sword in her hand straight toward the SUV.
"Eek!"
Myeongho and Myeongmae instinctively flinched, remembering Yeongwoo's own dramatic first encounter.
Even Jongsu, who had remained relaxed until now, looked toward Yeongwoo in alarm.
Yeongwoo alone remained calm.
The sword flew like an arrow before embedding itself in the road beside the vehicle.
Clang!
He had immediately realized that it hadn't been thrown at anyone.
What's she trying to do...?
Testing how we'll react?
The weapon she had thrown was an Early Bird.
Unless it possessed some kind of remote retrieval ability, casually throwing away such an expensive weapon was an incredibly bold move.
"It looks like we won't need your guidance after all."
"The First Sword herself came to meet us."
As Yeongwoo calmly spoke while looking away from the embedded sword, the police officer sitting rigidly in the SUV finally came back to his senses.
"...Ah!"
Without another word, he threw open the door and fled.
He sprinted straight toward Chungju's First Sword.
Only after watching him leave did Yeongwoo slowly step out of the SUV.
His bare white feet landed softly on the black asphalt.
About thirty meters away, Chungju's First Sword quietly observed him.
Her eyebrows twitched slightly.
Anyone who looked like a First Sword should have had a magnificent title floating above their head.
Yet above Yeongwoo...
There was nothing.
Unlike him, Shin Myeongju22 displayed her title proudly like every other First Sword.
That detail immediately caught Yeongwoo's attention.
If she's maintaining public order, you'd think she would've taken the Golden Ratio route...
But maybe she wasn't that reckless.
The Secret Agent Mark, the relic tattoo that concealed titles, had been Yeongwoo's reward for being the first to unlock the Achievement System through the Golden Ratio.
At first, he had assumed everyone received it.
However, every First Sword he had met since then openly displayed their titles.
That strongly suggested it was an exclusive Golden Ratio reward.
Which meant—
The woman before him had most likely chosen the 3 million Karma reward instead.
Then again...
If she'd followed the Golden Ratio route, she'd probably be wearing some golden equipment.
She wasn't.
Instead, she wore practical business attire.
Black slacks.
A navy-blue shirt.
A wristwatch restored from petrification.
Naturally, she was barefoot and carried a long sword in her right hand, making the overall appearance rather surreal.
"I heard you were looking for me."
Her voice was surprisingly gentle.
A stark contrast to someone who had just thrown a sword.
Yeongwoo bowed politely.
"Yes."
"My name is Jeong Myeongwoo. I came from Gumi."
"As I told that officer earlier, I'm not here to fight—"
Just as he glanced toward the policeman hiding behind her—
She raised one hand slightly.
"Sorry to interrupt..."
"But what's your number?"
"...Excuse me?"
"The number after your name."
She meant the identification number assigned according to how quickly someone first contacted an Exchange Center.
Her own name, Shin Myeongju22, meant she had been the twenty-second Shin Myeongju in the country to reach one.
The lower the number...
The bolder someone's actions had been on the first day.
She's trying to judge how dangerous I am.
Yeongwoo realized she was an extremely cautious person.
"...Seven."
"Jeong Myeongwoo07."
"Jeong Myeongwoo is a common name."
"You must have moved very quickly to get number seven."
She repeated the number quietly, smiling to herself.
Then she stepped sideways and glanced into the SUV.
"Those are your companions?"
"Yes."
"We didn't know each other before."
"I simply borrowed their car while traveling."
"I see."
At those words, her eyes briefly drifted toward his bare feet.
Then—
She bowed deeply.
"My name is Shin Myeongju22."
"I'm a judge at the Chungju District Court."
The long strands of her hair cascaded toward the ground, giving the moment an almost eerie atmosphere.
To Yeongwoo, however, it felt almost excessive.
She was bowing respectfully to someone much younger than herself.
Someone who might even be an enemy.
"As you already know..."
"I'm also Chungju's First Sword."
"I'm doing everything I can to maintain order here."
"And I'd like to apologize for throwing my sword earlier."
"I needed to see how you'd react."
"Ah..."
"N-No, it's fine."
Yeongwoo couldn't hide his surprise.
Breaking through the Exchange Center massacre with such a frail body was already remarkable.
Learning that she had also been a judge left him even more impressed.
Is that why the citizens trust her?
She isn't supporting this city through strength alone.
She has character too.
Countless terrible things had happened.
Yet it had only been two days since the Reset.
People now carried swords instead of briefcases...
But they still retained some faith in the values of the old world.
"And you?"
"I interrupted your introduction earlier."
Shin Myeongju smiled warmly.
Compared to the dazzling résumé of a judge and protector of Chungju...
Yeongwoo found it difficult to introduce himself.
If he followed her format...
There wasn't much to say.
Jeong Myeongwoo.
Former display factory worker from Gumi.
Became Gyeongbok's First Sword by chance.
Traveling toward Seoul while hunting Mutants to complete achievements.
No prestigious profession.
No noble mission.
"I'm..."
He hesitated.
Seeing that, Shin Myeongju smiled gently.
"Being a judge probably makes people uncomfortable."
"I shouldn't have mentioned it."
"Don't worry."
She looked over his rather unusual appearance before asking,
"How old are you?"
"And what did you do back in Gumi?"
"I'm thirty-four."
"I worked at a display manufacturing plant."
"I thought so."
"Gumi has plenty of factories."
"And it's quite far from here."
"You've had a difficult journey."
She smiled kindly.
Then quietly waited.
It was time to get to the point.
"You must be wondering why I came all the way here."
"I certainly am."
She nodded.
Yeongwoo pointed toward the SUV.
"First..."
"They have family living here."
"They've helped me, so I wanted to return the favor."
"Family?"
Looking puzzled, Shin Myeongju listened as Yeongwoo briefly explained everything—
Leaving Gumi.
Traveling toward Seoul.
Hunting Mutants.
Meeting the Jeong family on the highway.
After hearing the story, she looked toward the SUV with relief.
"That's fortunate."
"We conduct a headcount every evening at seven in front of City Hall."
"Not everyone attends..."
"But you'll probably find your husband there."
"Seven p.m..."
"That's two hours before the Daily Quest begins."
"Exactly."
"By then, everyone naturally rents houses near City Hall."
"It's our way of concentrating the population."
"I always sleep nearby as well."
"It makes maintaining public safety much easier."
Yeongwoo was genuinely amazed.
Chungju's management system was on an entirely different level from every city he'd seen.
Certainly, the outskirts would become less protected.
But that was far better than allowing the entire city to descend into lawlessness.
Chungju had chosen the most realistic solution available.
"Now then..."
"May I ask why you specifically wanted to meet me?"
"There aren't even any Mutants left in Chungju."
"What business do you have with me?"
As she subtly tightened her grip on her sword, Yeongwoo looked toward it before replying.
"You might think this sounds strange..."
"But I wanted to know why you're willing to shoulder all of this."
"...All of this?"
She tilted her head.
Yeongwoo gestured around them.
"Chungju."
"You're devoting yourself to protecting people who were complete strangers."
"You're obviously doing something admirable."
"But I've never seen a First Sword like you."
"So I was curious."
"I see."
"You've met quite a few First Swords then."
Something dangerous flickered beneath her calm tone.
Yeongwoo briefly sensed killing intent.
Yet the warning from his Golden Flash sensory ability never appeared.
She remained perfectly composed.
"You're right."
"The citizens were complete strangers."
"And depending on your perspective..."
"I suppose you could call this volunteering."
She paused.
Then looked up at the sky.
"But..."
"I had to do it."
"...What?"
"The first First Sword was nothing more than a criminal."
"The second had an incredibly narrow perspective."
"If I'd left things to them..."
"They might have survived."
"But the city wouldn't have."
"So preserving the city matters that much to you."
At those words, Shin Myeongju's expression suddenly turned cold.
"Of course it does."
"Monsters rain down every single day."
"If there's no order..."
"What do you think happens?"
Yeongwoo already knew the answer.
He had seen it firsthand.
If someone strong emerged...
The city became a dictatorship, like Sangju.
If no one did...
A single Mutant wiped out the entire city, like Gimcheon.
"Of course..."
"The witch hunt started all this."
"I don't expect wisdom from people anymore."
"In a way..."
"They're simply living in a world that matches the choices they made."
Then her expression darkened.
"But not me."
"I never voted for the witch hunt."
"I wasn't that despicable."
"I lived honestly."
"I don't deserve to share this punishment."
Yeongwoo couldn't find the words.
He understood her feelings.
She genuinely believed she had lived a life that did not deserve this kind of punishment.
If the Reset had never happened—
Or even if it had...
If people hadn't immediately turned to blind witch hunts—
Perhaps the world would still resemble something normal.
Instead...
Everything collapsed.
And so—
Rather than entrust her fate to someone else...
She seized power herself.
The Third First Sword of Chungju.
If what she said was true, her growth had been fueled by the enormous amount of Karma earned through the Exchange Center.
I still don't know how she escaped with all that money...
Regardless—
There was no denying how extraordinary she was.
She had to know many of Chungju's own citizens had willingly participated in the witch hunt.
Yet she still protected them.
Yeongwoo couldn't help respecting her.
"You're truly incredible, Judge."
"Compared to you, I'm..."
Just as he lowered his head awkwardly—
Hop.
A tiny golden figure suddenly leaped out of the Jeong family's SUV.
Kiit!
It was the Golden Goblin.
Unable to see its master for so long, it had jumped out of the vehicle to rejoin him.
The instant it clung affectionately to Yeongwoo's leg—
"Oh?"
Life suddenly returned to Shin Myeongju's previously stern eyes.
"What's that?"
"Is it yours?"
"Ah, yes."
"It's... basically a pet."
"...A pet?"
Yeongwoo explained it casually.
Shin Myeongju found that difficult to believe.
She, too, had encountered the alien merchants before.
"So merchants even sell living creatures..."
"This is my first time seeing something like this."
Her fascinated gaze lingered on the goblin.
Then she slowly looked back at Yeongwoo.
For the first time...
She truly examined him.
The snake wrapped around his forearm.
The golden bracelet.
The black cloak draped over his shoulders.
The unusual metal belt.
An Early Bird.
Another black sword.
The whistle around his neck.
The ring on his finger.
One after another...
She realized they were almost certainly all rare items.
As Shin Myeongju unconsciously counted them, her mouth slowly fell open.
The moment Yeongwoo saw the look in her eyes—
His own expression hardened.
Because he recognized it.
Even if only for an instant.
It was a look he had seen before.
The exact same gaze...
That had belonged to the bandits during the massacre at the Exchange Center.