Chapter 52

The Judge with the Longsword (5)

Myungwoo noticed a dangerous glint in Shin Myungjoo's eyes. Instinctively, his hand moved toward the hilt of his sword before he quickly stopped himself.

Unfortunately, Shin Myungjoo had already noticed the movement, and an awkward silence settled between them.

"Ah, was I staring too obviously?" she asked with an easy smile. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. You just have so many pieces of equipment I've never seen before."

She smoothly changed the subject, glancing toward the Jung family's SUV.

"You said you came to Chungju to help them find their family, right? Does that mean you'll be staying here until then, Mr. Yeongwoo?"

"Well..."

Yeongwoo looked down at his wristwatch before shifting his gaze to the timer floating in his vision.

Current Time: 4:10 PM

Time Until Sponsor Arrival: 3:56:31

There's not much time left. The lodging fee starts again at nine.

Chungju's population check was scheduled for 7 PM, so if he wanted to stay until the Jung family reunited with their relatives, he would have no choice but to spend the night here.

Normally, that wouldn't have been a problem. Chungju was one of the safest cities he'd seen.

...

The real problem is those so-called Sponsors. They're probably monsters from another world.

Yeongwoo didn't want Chungju to get caught up in the ominous event known as the Sponsors' arrival.

No matter what kind of beings they were, their appearance alone would undoubtedly throw the city into chaos.

Besides, Shin Myungjoo had been subtly eyeing his equipment this whole time.

Then again, considering how many people she was responsible for, it was only natural that she'd desire greater strength.

After some thought, Yeongwoo decided to stick to his original plan and continue heading north.

"No, I'll be leaving immediately. I'd like to reach the next city before the lodging period begins."

"...I see. That's unfortunate. You seem to have much more experience with this new world than I do, so there were quite a few things I wanted to ask."

By "experience," she obviously meant experience in the world after the Reset.

It was true. Compared to someone who had spent the entire time defending Chungju, Yeongwoo had traveled through numerous regions and experienced far more.

"If I'd had more time, I would've liked to learn more from you as well, Judge. But I'm sure we'll meet again someday."

As Yeongwoo prepared to leave, Shin Myungjoo pulled the spear called Early Bird from the ground and asked,

"You don't have any other business here? Honestly, seeing how much equipment you have, I thought you came here to meet the Merchant."

"Ah... Actually, I was planning to ask about that."

Since she had brought up the Merchant first, Yeongwoo couldn't hide his surprise as he looked toward the black pillar of light deeper inside the city.

"If it's alright with you... I'd like to meet the Merchant."

"Of course. I've already bought everything I can. If no one uses him, he'll disappear tonight anyway."

This was the first time Yeongwoo had learned that the Merchant also had a limited stay.

After thinking for a moment, he bowed politely.

"Then I'd appreciate it."

"Gladly. But I have one condition."

"...A condition?"

4:31 PM

After passing through the Dolgate, the Jung family's SUV finally entered Chungju City.

The vehicle was even more crowded than before.

Instead of a police officer, Shin Myungjoo herself had climbed into the back seat.

Her condition was simple—she wanted to accompany Yeongwoo until his business with the Merchant was finished.

Yeongwoo had expected the city's strongest fighter to keep an eye on him anyway, so he had no reason to refuse.

As for the Jung family, they were actually honored.

Unlike Yeongwoo, they intended to settle down in Chungju permanently.

Finally, Jongsoo spoke up.

"Uh... doesn't this mean I don't need to stay with Brother Myungho anymore? This place is already peaceful."

He was clearly trying to use the situation as an excuse to get out of his promise to Yeongwoo.

"Right, Brother? If you're going to live here from now on, you don't really need a bodyguard."

Pressed by Jongsoo, Myungho awkwardly nodded.

Though only half-heartedly.

The truth was, Jongsoo himself was intimidating.

His massive build...

His overwhelming confidence...

Even though he called himself a younger brother, he looked more like a gangster.

There wasn't a single thing about him that felt approachable.

"See? What do you think, Brother Yeongwoo?"

After confirming Myungho's agreement, Jongsoo turned toward Yeongwoo.

Gone was the fierce glare he'd shown Myungho.

Instead, his eyes were filled with something closer to admiration.

"...Hmm."

Even Yeongwoo thought Myungho lacked the resolve to keep someone like Jongsoo under control.

But that didn't mean he would allow Jongsoo to casually break the promise they'd made.

Besides, he had genuinely meant what he'd said before.

He had no intention of taking on companions who would only become burdens.

"If the two of you come to an agreement, that's your business. But don't expect me to take Jongsoo in. Traveling alone is much more convenient."

His firm response immediately left Jongsoo looking completely dejected.

Just then, a huge rectangular building appeared beyond the car windows.

It was Chungju City Hall.

"That's City Hall Plaza. If your husband is still in Chungju, he's probably somewhere around there."

Shin Myungjoo pointed toward the spacious square in front of the building.

Myungmae immediately searched the crowded plaza with anxious eyes.

Even though it wasn't gathering time yet, many people were already there.

Unlike those waiting outside the city, however, most of them were sitting or lying on the ground.

"Are they waiting for monsters too?" Jongsoo muttered.

Shin Myungjoo shook her head.

"No. Most of them are just... killing time."

"From my perspective, they're ticking time bombs."

"Time bombs?"

Myungmae widened her eyes.

She was desperately searching the crowd for her husband.

"Yes. Even now, most of Chungju's citizens are risking their lives trying to earn more Karma. Hunting monsters... completing daily quests... or scavenging for anything valuable."

Every day at 7 PM, a marketplace opened after the gathering.

Even petrified items could still be traded there.

"So the people over there..."

Myungmae pointed toward the crowd.

Shin Myungjoo's expression darkened.

"If they run out of Karma, they'll have no choice but to die."

"Do you think they'll quietly accept that?"

"Those people could turn into robbers at any moment."

Some still completed daily quests, she explained, but that alone wasn't enough.

Daily quests only covered lodging fees and taxes.

Food was a completely different issue.

"It's been almost two days since the Reset began."

"In other words... most people have already been starving for two days."

"Then how does Chungju manage its food supply?" Yeongwoo asked.

"There should still be supermarkets and department stores full of food."

He remembered seeing people fighting outside a supermarket in Gumi.

Shin Myungjoo looked up at the sky.

"There's nothing left to manage."

"During the First Strongest's era, everything was looted."

"...I see."

Yeongwoo let out a sigh.

"Even if someone still has food, they can't eat it without Karma."

"So eventually they have no choice but to bring it to the marketplace."

"Which means," Yeongwoo observed,

"the people who looted stores during the First Strongest's time ended up making the biggest profit."

Shin Myungjoo slowly closed her eyes.

"I hate to admit it, but that's true."

"It's simply reality."

"If we tried to confiscate everyone's food by force, it would only create even greater chaos."

"And it wouldn't even be possible to recover everything."

It was clearly a painful subject for her.

She decided to change it.

"Let's stop talking about this."

"We're here."

"If you're ready, let's go meet the Merchant."

As she opened the rear door, the noisy sounds of the plaza flooded into the SUV.

"You're really leaving just like that? I still feel kind of uneasy..."

Jongsoo turned around in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Yeongwoo followed Shin Myungjoo out of the vehicle.

Myungho also stepped out and bowed deeply.

"Thank... thank you for everything."

"No need to thank me."

"It wasn't as if everything went perfectly."

"I owe both you and your mother plenty as well."

"...Still, are you really alright without Jongsoo?"

"He looks like the type who'll just wander off on his own."

Yeongwoo glanced at Jongsoo as he climbed out of the car.

Myungho smiled awkwardly.

"I think we'll be alright here."

"And Jongsoo is still an outsider."

"Eventually we'd have to go our separate ways."

His gaze then shifted toward the back seat.

Yeongwoo followed it.

Myungmae silently mouthed her farewell.

"Please stay healthy."

"Thank you for everything."

This would probably be the last conversation they ever had.

Yeongwoo bowed respectfully one last time before hurrying after Shin Myungjoo, who was already several steps ahead, walking toward the black pillar of light.

4:52 PM

Not long after leaving City Hall Plaza, Yeongwoo noticed something strange.

Whoosh!

Shin Myungjoo wasn't slowing down for him.

She was running at her own pace.

There were no ordinary civilians around anymore—only elite fighters—so moving at high speed wasn't unusual.

Still...

I'm technically a guest.

Is she really going to leave me behind like this?

There was only one explanation.

She's testing my stats.

If that was true...

Then Yeongwoo was unintentionally revealing that his physical abilities were far below those of the city's strongest fighter.

Whenever Shin Myungjoo accelerated even slightly, he immediately started falling behind.

"Am I going too fast?" she asked while glancing back.

"We're almost there."

"Should I slow down a little?"

Yeongwoo forced a smile and looked toward the black pillar, which had grown much closer.

"No."

"I'm fine."

"We're almost there anyway."

Looking around, he also noticed that this area was completely deserted.

Perhaps the Merchant's surroundings had been designated a restricted zone where even monster hunters weren't allowed to enter.

Well, the Merchant sells his goods on a first-come, first-served basis.

It wouldn't be strange if the city's strongest had prohibited anyone else from approaching.

That raised another question.

Then why did Shin Myungjoo so readily allow an outsider like me to trade with him?

A familiar, unsettling pressure unique to the Merchant filled the air.

As they rounded the last buildings, the view suddenly opened up.

They had arrived at the intersection where the Merchant had set up shop.

At that moment, Shin Myungjoo finally came to a stop.

Tap.

She raised a hand and pointed toward the pillar of black light ahead.

"I hope there are still some worthwhile items left."