Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 411: Collection (3)

“Y-Yeongwoo…! It’s good to see you!”

—Our son!

Jeonggu and Jiseon awkwardly embraced Yeongwoo.

Then, as Kobu had instructed, they recited the words of blessing.

“We’re truly happy that you were born…”

—…Me too.

At that, Yeongwoo’s brow immediately furrowed.

“I don’t feel any sincerity at all.”

Moreover, the Prestige Achievement didn’t budge in the slightest.

[Prestige: Restoration of Roots]

|Complete the following three missions. (2/3)

=Obtain a mother and father.

=Reunite your parents.

=Be blessed by your complete parents.

Receiving an empty blessing wouldn’t fulfill the achievement’s conditions.

“This won’t do. Whatever you say, it has to be sincere. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to pick up my sword again.”

As Yeongwoo, still in their embrace, gripped Bastard tighter, Jeonggu made a horrified expression and spoke.

“You brat, every time you open your mouth, it’s nothing but talk of rebellion. How do you expect us to bless you?”

Even so, he didn’t let go of Yeongwoo, who was still half-held in his arms.

“But… they say the bond between parent and child is a sacred one.”

“…?”

“I still vividly remember you showing up out of nowhere and pointing a sword at me. And yet, here we are, embracing each other… I suppose that means it really is a sacred bond.”

Jiseon, still wearing her helmet, looked visibly flustered.

She was surprised that Jeonggu was actually putting serious thought into this.

“For decades, I lived alone. But now that the world has fallen apart, suddenly I have a son and a wife.”

Swish.

Jeonggu looked up at the sky.

“Maybe this is the world telling me to reconsider the sins of my past. In the end, you needed a father, and your mother needed a husband to settle her past burdens.”

“…!”

He had struck at the heart of the matter.

In a way, Jeonggu and Jiseon were both paying for the sins they had committed decades ago.

“You, my son who came to find me in this ruined world… If you had never survived, I would have lived my whole life without even knowing you existed. You did well to survive, even without us.”

Suddenly, Jeonggu’s entire body began to glow gold.

Like a ghost ascending to the afterlife.

Swoosh!

“Huh?”

—W-What the hell, you bastard?

Both Yeongwoo and Jiseon were startled, but deep down, they already understood what was happening.

Jeonggu had done it first.

He had completed the task of becoming a true parent and blessing his child.

“But now that you have parents, you can live much better. Even if it’s late, I bless you—your birth and your future.”

“Oh… Father.”

Yeongwoo looked at Jeonggu with astonished eyes for the first time, and the golden light that had enveloped Jeonggu began to transfer to him.

Shaaah!

Now, it was time for the mother, Jiseon, to do her part.

Glance.

Yeongwoo silently turned to look at her.

Feeling immense pressure, Jiseon leaned back slightly and shook her head.

—No way, what the hell? We’ve only known each other for two days!

“Father wasn’t around for long either.”

—Still, how can someone become a parent overnight? I already regret having married that bastard!

Zap!

Jiseon pointed at Jeonggu with a blue-glowing finger.

Yeongwoo grabbed her hand and spoke.

“But Mother, you’ve known about me your entire life.”

—What…?

Jiseon was suddenly glad she was wearing a mask.

She knew her pupils had just shaken violently.

“No one else might have known, but you did. You knew that I existed in this world.”

-……

“So, you had way more time than Father. You had time to prepare for a moment like this, just in case it ever came.”

—Th-That’s…

She couldn’t argue against it.

Because the truth was, Jiseon had thought about the possibility of meeting her son again.

For decades.

But she had never imagined it would happen like this.

“I’m not asking you to undo the past. And I don’t expect to suddenly have a ‘real’ mother overnight. But you can bless me, can’t you?”

Of course, there was a condition.

It had to be a genuine blessing.

And for Jiseon, that might have been the hardest thing to do.

—…A blessing. Of course, I will. Because you are my son.

As expected, her tone was still incredibly awkward.

Then, something happened that no one in the room had anticipated.

∴ Apologize first. Isn’t that what you should do?

A nonchalant voice suddenly came from the Aratubank in Jiseon’s hand.

“Huh?”

“B-Brother?”

—What?

The voice belonged to none other than Yeongwoo’s other ‘family’—his second uncle, Song Jungho.

∴ You abandoned your son, yet he still came looking for you and calls you his mother. Even if his reasons are dark… isn’t that something to be sorry and grateful for?

The thunder dragon within the coffin had just spoken the most human words in the entire room.

And for Jiseon, who had always thought of her second brother as nothing more than a delinquent, it was another shock.

—W-What the hell are you saying, you crazy bastard?

Flustered, Jiseon swung her hand as if shaking off an insect, hurling the Aratubank to the ground.

Thud!

At that moment, Song Jungho collapsed onto the ground, muttering.

∴ How the hell did things turn out like this? The karma of the Jinhyeon family must be extraordinary.

-…….

Of course, Jiseon was well aware of the depth of her own karma.

Jeong Yeongwoo 07.

Once upon a time, this person had been a pure child.

But being an orphan must have played a significant role in him growing up as a demon holding Bastard.

—I'm sorry... for abandoning you. And for leaving you to grow up like this.

Jiseon tried her best to be sincere, but Yeongwoo immediately cut her off.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Mother?"

—…Huh?

"I'm about to become Earth's monopolist, and I have tens of billions in cash. How could I have grown up any better than this?"

—That… does it really work that way?

"I grew up just fine. But to break through the ceiling, I need a family. So stop talking nonsense and just give me your blessing."

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

As Yeongwoo pointed his finger toward the sky, a surge of blue-hot anger rose in Jiseon's chest.

—This crazy thug only cares about money.

And then, surprisingly, Jiseon's entire body glowed gold.

Swaaaaaah!

Finally, Jiseon's true feelings were activated.

—Looking at you, I can tell you won't get beaten up wherever you go. But you're far from being a decent person, you brat! Got it?

A mother’s blessing—not to get beaten even in space and to maintain his humanity.

Did that sentiment truly reach the universe?

Along with Jiseon's enraged breathing, the radiant light surrounding her transferred to Yeongwoo.

Piiiiing!

"Hrk…!"

Yeongwoo let out a groan as if he had been burned.

In reality, his insides were becoming unbearably hot.

"Kuaaaah!"

His body twisted uncontrollably.

"What, what’s wrong, Yeongwoo?!"

—Why is this brat acting like this?

The two newlyweds, who had just finished their wedding ceremony, stomped their feet in panic.

"Hey, Kobu! What’s happening here?"

Jeonggu turned to Kobu, who was still at the venue, and asked urgently.

Kobu folded his arms and stepped back slowly.

-It seems the legacy of the noble house has chosen its head.

"The head…?"

As soon as Jeonggu muttered those words, golden lightning bolts shot out of Yeongwoo’s eyes, nose, and mouth.

"Ugh, uaaaah!"

Startled, Jeonggu reflexively ducked, and Jiseon quickly picked up the Aratubank she had thrown to the ground.

And in that moment—

Click!

Kobu, Tobu, and Chobu all knelt on one knee in unison, bowing in reverence.

They had sensed it—the birth of a new family was imminent.

And indeed—

"Krragh!"

With Yeongwoo’s outcry, the lightning bursting from his body shot up into the sky.

Kwoooooosh!

A density of energy that seemed impossible to come from a mere human body.

And within that energy, Yeongwoo saw a single line of text.

「You have fulfilled the final condition for Restoration of Roots.」

‘Oh…!’

At last, he had completed the first achievement necessary for founding a family.

Piiiing!

A clear notification sound rang out, and the achievement details appeared.

[Achievement Unlocked: Restoration of Roots]

| Achievement Rank: Universe

| Completion Rank: #???

「Complete the three designated missions with your newly acquired parents.」

Then, all at once, the lightning surging from Yeongwoo’s body came to a halt.

Swaaah!

The searing heat that had threatened to burn his body subsided as well.

「With Restoration of Roots complete, the process of family establishment will now commence.」

"Ah… finally, it's happening."

Yeongwoo let out a voice filled with awe.

Jiseon, who had been staring at him blankly, quickly asked,

—What? Does this mean you can really establish a family now?

"Yes, I've received the guidance at least…"

As Yeongwoo spoke and reached up to stroke his chin, a system message appeared before him.

「Please designate the family head.」

| Jeong Yeongwoo 07 : Suitability 93%

| Kim Jeonggu 11 : Suitability 64%

| Song Jiseon : Suitability 86%

‘Oh, wow. Mom’s suitability is way higher than I expected.’

Maybe it was because she used to be the head of a conglomerate.

‘But she won’t live as long as I will… For the long-term prosperity of the family, I have to be the head.’

Besides, his suitability was the highest—after all, he was the one who had planned this family from the start.

So, without much hesitation, Yeongwoo selected himself as the family head.

Tap!

Immediately, another question popped up.

「Please name your family.」

"……."

Instinctively, he glanced at his mother.

But the answer had been decided long ago.

"Renaissance."

「The entered family name is ‘Renaissance.’ Would you like to confirm?」

‘Yes.’

As soon as Yeongwoo nodded in his mind, the foundational data of the family was displayed.

| Family Name : Renaissance

| Family Head : Jeong Yeongwoo 07

| Initial Capital : 37,034,062,780

| Registered Address : |l||I - Earth - Dogo Special City, Seoul

「Is the above information correct?」

‘So far, so good.’

Yeongwoo nodded once again.

Then, all the information vanished from his vision at once.

And for the first time, a message appeared that truly unsettled him.

「What will Renaissance do in the universe?」

‘…What?’

「Please select the most relevant option.」

[1] Smuggling

[2] Kidnapping

[3] Robbery & Assault

[4] Loan Sharking

[5] Illegal Contracting

‘Wait, why are these the only choices? Aren’t there any other options?’

Yeongwoo protested.

But instead of new choices, the system merely repeated its previous prompt.

「Please select the most relevant option.」

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]