Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

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Chapter 403: Gift Breakthrough (7)

The first authority exercised by the number one in the celebration rankings: Mara’s expulsion.

The moment Dogo made this decision, all the guests turned their gazes to Mara.

Why?

— Dogo…!

Mara, who had just been ordered to leave, had dark energy enveloping both his hands.

It seemed he was preparing to go on a rampage before being kicked out, likely to cause some damage.

At that moment, Chairman Dogo raised his gaze to the sky and shouted.

— What are you waiting for? Get that man out of here now!

As soon as the chairman made a motion to rise from his throne, the entire venue began to glow silver.

Whoooosh!

Then, a new symbol filled the previously empty space where Dogo’s wedge-shaped emblem had not been engraved.

‘What is that?’

Through the blinding light piercing his vision, Yeongwoo managed to open his eyes and look at the symbol.

Swish!

It was a simple design—a large circle intersected by a single horizontal line.

—It’s the emblem of the Family Court, Yeongwoo.

“The Family Court?”

When Yeongwoo turned around, squinting, he noticed Kobu standing nearby.

—Yes. Since the wedding system does not have the authority to expel Mara, in cases like this, the Family Court intervenes to ensure the integrity of the ceremony.

Immediately, a pillar of light pierced through the ceiling and enveloped Mara.

— You insolent fools! How dare you…!

Mara tried to shout, but before he could even finish his tirade, the light pillar disappeared—taking Mara with it.

Poof!

“Huh?”

As the spot where the king of the void had stood was wiped clean, Yeongwoo’s jaw dropped.

One of Mara’s epithets was “The One Who Walks in the Shadow of Universal Law.”

Yet, he had just been forcibly expelled from the ceremony by the Family Court.

Even after contributing billions in celebration gifts.

“I thought Mara walked in the shadow of cosmic law? How couldn’t he stop his expulsion from a mere ceremony?”

Kobu gently stroked the helmet covering his face before cautiously speaking.

—This place… is not a shadow.

“……?”

—It has always been within the Family Court’s domain. So Mara appearing here in physical form was, in itself, astonishing.

“Ah.”

Only after hearing Kobu’s explanation did Yeongwoo finally understand.

‘Mara really did mean well… He just didn’t have enough money!’

Mara—the master of the void, the one who walks in the shadow of cosmic law.

Ordinarily, he could roam the void, disregarding the laws of the universe.

But because today was a special occasion, he had shown up on a backwater planet governed by cosmic law.

It was like a crime lord leaving his lair to attend a friend’s wedding, despite the place being surrounded by police.

Yet, in the end, he was crushed by an even greater force—money.

‘So the chairman is also bound by cosmic law inside this venue, huh? Even though he’s known as the “Destroyer King,” he’s also a businessman.’

Considering how diligently he paid taxes, it wasn’t unreasonable to think so.

This incident also made Yeongwoo more acutely aware of the power of cosmic law enforcement.

‘But then again, the chairman has beaten up public officials before… The universe really is unpredictable.’

The lunatic pioneer Aldo, the pride-obsessed Dogo, and Mara, who didn’t even consider lower beings as insects.

And somewhere in between, cosmic authority seeped in, barely visible.

So, how was a backwater planet like Earth supposed to survive in such a world?

‘Power… and obscene amounts of money.’

Yeongwoo clenched his fist.

At that moment, the Family Court’s emblems that filled the venue vanished, and the system text reappeared.

「What an impressive speech. Truly well done.」

“……?”

「Next up is the main event of this ceremony—the ‘Breakthrough Ceremony.’」

‘Finally!’

To realize the celebration gifts recorded on the ranking board as actual profits, one had to clear this critical checkpoint—the Breakthrough Ceremony.

If Yeongwoo succeeded, he would receive billions in cash and monstrous gear.

In other words, this wedding would mark his transformation into a completely different being.

‘If I pour those billions into my abilities, I’ll become a monster. Even splitting the money to buy equipment would have the same result.’

He could even fund planet development projects with that money.

The upgrade queue for Metal Seoul was already packed to the brim.

Winning first place in the promotion tournament had unlocked dual infrastructure design for the city.

「Please decide the order of breakthroughs for each ceremony participant.」

At that, the Dogo emblems above Jiseon and Jeonggu’s heads began to glow blue.

It seemed to indicate that they were the ones who would undergo the Breakthrough Ceremony.

Icons of one and two vertical bars also appeared before them.

—What…? Can we just decide the order however we want?

Jiseon tilted her head as she asked, while Jeonggu responded in a nervous voice.

“I… I think so?”

According to prior discussions, Jeonggu would enter with Yeongwoo, while Jiseon would enter alone.

Since this wasn’t a wedding between two families, Yeongwoo was the only one representing them.

「The Breakthrough Ceremony will soon begin. Guests are encouraged to prepare for the breakthrough defense.」

The system began stirring up the guests.

「Breakthrough defense is a critical procedure to test the resolve of the participants. It will serve as a great trial to enhance the depth of this wedding.」

“…Are you kidding me?”

Yeongwoo glared into the air after reading the absurd system message.

Then the next announcement threw the entire venue into an uproar.

「If the participant drops the ceremonial box due to lack of resolve, all guest contributions will be refunded.」

— Oh!

— Full refunds?!

— So we just have to make them drop the box?

Many guests were attending their first wedding of this kind.

「During the Breakthrough Defense, all forms of interference and contact are allowed, except for lethal acts. The defense ends when the participant reaches the ceremonial altar.」

In simpler terms, they could obstruct the couple’s path in any way until they reached the end of the aisle.

As long as they didn’t injure or kill them.

‘So they could slam into them or launch a mental attack?’

Yeongwoo felt darkness creeping into his vision.

His could cover for his father, but his mother was entering alone.

“Mother, are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”

Yeongwoo asked Jiseon, but her sharp response came immediately.

—What if I’m not? If you don’t have a solution, stop with the useless talk.

“……”

It was clear his mother was also nervous.

And no wonder—the guests’ excitement had grown palpable after the refund policy was announced.

「Please decide the breakthrough order for the participants.」

The system urged the couple again.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Yeongwoo cautiously looked at Chairman Dogo, the number one in the celebration rankings and his official sponsor.

He silently asked if the chairman could help with the breakthrough defense.

Since Dogo was technically a guest, he could step in if he wanted to.

However.

Clink!

Dogo, catching Yeongwoo’s gaze, sheathed the sword he had drawn earlier and spoke.

— There is no place for cowards in this venue, Yeongwoo!

‘Damn it…’

Well, from the chairman’s perspective, helping them break through the ceremonial procession might have seemed disgraceful.

Besides, by choosing not to help either side, one could at least hope for a refund of the congratulatory money due to implied negligence.

“Damn it. Looks like we really have to handle this on our own.”

— Yes, as the chairman said, there is no room for cowards. Not even in this universe.

Meanwhile, it seemed Jiseon had made up her mind.

She was fiddling with the large sword at her waist.

“No matter what, you can’t cut down the guests.”

— There’s no rule against the attackers using lethal force, only the defenders.

“…Huh?”

Now that he thought about it, that was true.

At least according to the rules heard at the venue, there was no rule prohibiting them from beating or killing the guests.

“Well, regardless, this place is under the jurisdiction of the family court. If we kill a guest, we’ll be thrown straight into prison.”

For reference, in this universe, even being charged carries an 84% mortality rate.

— Still, going to prison might be better than going bankrupt and losing everything. And don’t they make billions in annual salaries?

“…Damn. Your mindset is completely different.”

Yeongwoo, his jaw hanging open, suddenly had a realization.

He desperately called out the name of the Crimson Foot Lord.@@novelbin@@

“Lord Bang! Lord Bang!”

Then, from afar, Bantubangtong came running with the Aratubank shield in hand.

— What’s going on, Little Foot?

“The shield. You should return it now. You have no use for it anymore since there’s no more Mara, right?”

— …Well, that’s…

Lord Bang’s face twisted in reluctance.

He had been happy for a brief time, being able to keep the family relic close.

But now, that time was over.

— Can’t I hold onto it until the ceremony ends?

“No. We’re on the verge of complete ruin, and now is not the time to be picky.”

With those words, Yeongwoo grabbed the Aratubank shield.

Lord Bang released it with a defeated expression.

Swoosh.

The legendary shield finally returned to its rightful owner.

Then, it was handed over to Jiseon.

“Go with Uncle during the ceremonial procession.”

At this, two “Jinhyeons” simultaneously cried out in protest.

— What?

Jinhyeon’s chairman, Song Jiseon, and—

∴ What the hell?

— Song Jungho, sealed inside the Aratubank shield.

“If we don’t establish the family properly, we’ll all go down together like this.”

— ……

∴ Damn it. But isn’t this technically not even your family?

Song Jungho asked sarcastically from within the shield.

Yeongwoo shook his head.

“Not my family? Our Renaissance family is the legitimate successor of the Jinhyeon clan in the era of space expansion.”

Although, for a “legitimate” family, their family names were all over the place.

“So, Uncle is also part of our family. And to reiterate, if I go down, you won’t have any future either.”

∴ You crazy bastard.

Song Jungho was furious, but Yeongwoo wasn’t wrong.

In this world, all Song Jungho had left was family.

Looking at the long term, the family his sister and nephew were trying to establish had to stand firm for Song Jungho to secure any semblance of stability.

「All ceremony participants, please determine your procession order. If not decided within 10 seconds, the order will be assigned randomly.」

The ceremony system imposed a time limit, refusing to wait any longer.

Yeongwoo handed the Aratubank shield to his mother and grabbed Jeonggu’s hand.

Clench!

“My father and I will break through first to see how it goes.”

Then he turned to Jeonggu.

“We’re going first. Pick the order.”

“Are you serious?”

“Hurry up. There are only 6 seconds left.”

As Yeongwoo urged him, checking the timer floating in midair, Jeonggu quickly touched the order icon in front of him.

Tap!

「First ceremonial procession: Kim Jeonggu11 will proceed first.」

In an instant, Yeongwoo and Jeonggu were teleported near the entrance of the venue.

Whoosh!

“Huh?”

“Ah!”

At that moment, a ceremonial box the size of a small watermelon appeared on Jeonggu’s chest.

Ping!

“Huh? Catch it! Quick!”

Yeongwoo shouted in surprise, and Jeonggu barely managed to hug the ceremonial box with both arms.

“Damn, that was almost a disaster right from the start.”

Jeonggu was already drenched in sweat.

Then, the virgin road beneath their feet lit up, and the symbol of Dogo extended along the path through the guests.

Ssssssh!

It revealed the route the two had to break through.

“It’s so long…”

The virgin road stretched for about 800 meters.

Jeonggu was already trembling with fear.

Suddenly, the system’s text appeared again.

Pop!

「Now, the groom Kim Jeonggu11’s will shall be tested. Rank 1, please raise the ceremonial signal when ready.」

A blue torch appeared to the right of the throne holding up the Dogo.

Once the chairman raised it, Yeongwoo and Jeonggu’s ceremonial procession would begin.

Then.

Clink.

The chairman grabbed the torch’s handle and looked at Yeongwoo.

— ……

The scars of countless battles were evident beneath the helmet.

There was something odd about the chairman’s gaze.

“…?”

Sensing a foreboding feeling, Yeongwoo suddenly felt uneasy.

— To add depth to this ceremony, I will pay 2 billion karma to anyone who makes them drop the ceremonial box.

“What?”

— Begin the procession.

The chairman raised the torch high.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]