Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 435: The Value of a Planetary Ship (1)

Pluto, the King of Hell, Svera.

Her name was as grand as her entrance was dramatic.

The atmosphere froze in an instant, followed by a downpour of ice shards from the sky.

KWAAAAANG...!

It was a scene terrifying enough to make most people tremble.

But not Yeongwoo.

He didn’t even blink.

He’d seen these kinds of ice shows far too many times, thanks to his mother.

And besides, he’d grown up fighting the likes of Dogo, a third-rank entity.

More importantly—

“King of Hell? You bastard, you’re a dwarf planet.”

A dwarf planet—Pluto.

Despite its grand name, Pluto was far smaller than Earth's own moon.

In other words, it was a tiny celestial body loitering on the outskirts of the solar system.

—This body, Svera the King of Hell, is watching!

This dramatic self-introduction was typical of someone so self-important, and just like always, Yeongwoo raised his arm.

SWOOSH!

“I can see you clearly.”

He could see the “dwarf planet” hiding in the ice waterfall mid-descent, as if it were transparent.

「Ominous Eye」 – Void Eyeball

【Insight ability increased by 50%.】

【Sensory stats increased by 40%.】

【Ashen Gaze】

Thanks to the Ominous Eye, his ability to perceive had dramatically improved—Pluto’s movements seemed like they were happening in slow motion.

And sure enough—

WHACK!

Yeongwoo’s hand reached into the shower of ice and grabbed something.

“Knew you'd be there.”

With that brief remark, he swung his arm, pulling out a hulking figure clad in dark blue armor from the ice.

CRASH!

『Ugh...!』

It was Svera, the King of Hell.

She let out a startled cry, clearly not expecting to be caught, and was slammed onto the ground.

Earth let out a shriek in response.

『D-Don’t kill her!』

It was a plea directed at Jeong Yeongwoo07, the insane human representative.

Yeongwoo, who had been aiming Bastard at the fallen Pluto, looked up.

“…What?”

『If you kill the King of Hell, then our negotiations with the Sun—』

The sentence was cut off before it could finish, as Pluto, lying face-down, suddenly rose and swung a punch at Yeongwoo.

WHOOSH!

Standing up, the King of Hell towered at a height of four meters.

So her punch came crashing down like a cannonball from above.

“That body of yours is cheating, isn’t it? In reality, your planet’s smaller than ours.”

Yeongwoo easily dodged the falling fist and mocked her.

『What? You little punk!』

Finally snapping, Svera’s eyes rolled back in fury, and her punches became laced with killing intent.

Yeongwoo’s expression turned serious.

“I’m about to negotiate with the Sun itself. Keep acting out, and you’ll lose even that fancy title of yours.”

But Svera had spent her entire life under the dominion of the solar system.

In her worldview, no native species could ever threaten a planet.

And the idea of the Sun orbiting the Earth was pure madness.

『Don’t mock the order of the universe!』

FWOOOSH!

Svera released a wave of blue frost and charged at full force, while Yeongwoo sighed and shook his head.

“Right now, the one mocking the order of the universe… is you, isn’t it?”

『What did you say?』

As Pluto’s icy blue eyes twisted in fury, Yeongwoo’s pupils began to glow.

CRACKLE!

『……!』

It was the golden light of prestige that emanated whenever Yeongwoo used his Authority.

《This body commands you to show respect before the Lord of Renaissance!》

Yeongwoo mimicked the planet’s way of speaking while unleashing his aura, and Svera, about to throw another punch, froze.

The cosmic energy radiating from Yeongwoo was overwhelming.

『N-No way...』

Prestige Level: 38

In contrast, Svera’s prestige level was only 27.

In the cosmic hierarchy, respect was mandated by every two-level gap.

And right now, Yeongwoo and Svera had a five-level difference.

《Kneel!》

With a thunderous command, Yeongwoo raised his fist—and then Pluto’s body began to react.

WHOOOM!

『Urgh?』

As soon as Yeongwoo truly committed to the attack, an immense pressure fell upon Svera’s body.

『G-Ghak!』

This was the same kind of phenomenon that Earth's Strongest Swords used to immobilize their opponents with aura alone.

In other words, to Yeongwoo, whether it was a mere human or a dwarf planet—there was no longer any real difference.

『King of Hell! Fall back! That’s not someone you can face!』

Earth spoke to the frozen-in-place Pluto.

And Yeongwoo, too—

“…The universe really is an interesting place.”

He exhaled slowly, watching Svera instinctively crouch under the pressure.

It reminded him of the day of his parents’ wedding, when he faced Mara.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Back then, Mara had enough power to force him to his knees with just a glance—and the intent to do so.

‘If the Chairman hadn’t intervened then, my knees would’ve been shattered without mercy.’

But now, in a similar position of power, Yeongwoo didn’t feel the urge to utterly crush his opponent.

There was no point in forcibly humiliating someone who could already be subdued with sheer presence alone.

“I’ve seen enough to know that planets are seriously annoying bastards. I guess they never imagined they’d get smacked around by a mere human.”

With those words, Yeongwoo released the pressure that had been restraining Svera.

Paaaah!

At that, Svera, who had been frozen in place before Yeongwoo, recoiled as if scalded by fire.

『W-What the hell are you…?』

The once-intimidating aura of the King of Hell had noticeably subsided.

Turns out, a fist speaks louder than words.

Just then, Yeongwoo’s eyes gleamed gold again as he declared:

《I am your new future!》

While Yeongwoo made this unbelievably arrogant statement for a mere human, Earth blinked and delivered an update.

『Mercury and Jupiter are now in audience with the Sun.』

Coincidentally, Mercury was the smallest planet in the solar system, and Jupiter the largest.

“What? Those bastards are plotting treason now?”

Yeongwoo was enraged by the fact that some planets had gone straight to the Sun instead of coming to him.

Earth, meanwhile, looked up at the sky with a baffled expression.

『…Technically speaking, we’re the traitors.』

“How are we the traitors? Isn’t the solar system everyone’s planetary system?”

『It’s called the solar system, isn’t it?』

“Bullshit. Then don’t talk about the ‘integrity of the solar system’ and all that. If staying on orbit is so important, then our share of this system should be pretty damn significant.”

『…….』

Faced with Yeongwoo’s twisted logic, Earth had no words.

It was total nonsense—and yet somehow, it kind of made sense.

“And if we are technically rebels, then it’s only fair we have at least a handgun.”

With that, Yeongwoo pointed at Earth like an illegitimate child demanding alimony.

“Pull up the list of cannons. Before the others get here and start acting up.”

Whether he meant to eliminate the planets or just finish shopping for cannons was unclear.

Regardless, Earth complied and reactivated the weapon purchase interface.

Piiing!

「You may now purchase and install cannons for your Planetary Ship.」

「Cannons are divided into primary and secondary classes. In most cases, direct attacks on other planets can only be carried out using primary cannons.」

“Of course we start with the main gun. Show me the primary cannon list.”

As Yeongwoo made his decision to go big from the start, Pluto watched in shock.

『W-What the hell are you doing? What are you buying right now?!』

“Sit there and watch quietly. Unless you want to experience firsthand what a planetary ship is capable of.”

『You little—!』

Meanwhile, a list of currently available primary cannons started appearing mid-air.

Papap, pat!

「Roar of Gadia」 – Epic-Class Cannon

【Output: 800】

【Max Charge Capacity: 3】

【Firing Time: 60 seconds】

【Energy Requirement: 400】

【Manufacturer: Berek's Black Iron Factory】

*Price: 1.64 billion Karma

Each cannon came with a name, grade, specifications, and a bit of signature flair.

“Figures… main cannons start in the billions.”

『Obviously. These are weapons that shoot across the damn galaxy.』

Yeongwoo pointed at the “Roar of Gadia’s” output stat.

“What exactly does ‘output’ mean here? Is it like attack power?”

『Close enough. It’s how much firepower you generate from the energy drawn in.』

“Ah.”

In other words, the “Roar of Gadia” drew in 400 energy to release an 800-output blast—a 200% energy efficiency cannon.

“So the max charge capacity means how much energy you can load up in advance?”

『Exactly.』

“Got it.”

Yeongwoo, who had experience using laser cannons in the Returnee’s Chamber, found this system pretty familiar.

“But what’s with that 60-second firing time? Seriously?”

『That’s the delay between inputting coordinates and actual firing. These cannons use so much energy that it takes time to launch.』

“Dude, all planets are constantly moving along their orbits. In 60 seconds, the target won’t even be there anymore.”

It sounded like a fair point—but to Earth, it was a dumb question.

『Why do you think every set of coordinates comes with a unique planetary code?』

“…What’s that supposed to mean?”

『Coordinates in space account for orbital data. In other words…』

“So once you enter the coordinates, orbital drift is automatically adjusted for?”

『Exactly. At least you catch on quick.』

“Wait, hold on.”

But Yeongwoo wasn’t just quick on the uptake—he also had imagination.

“If that’s true, what about planetary ships? We have our own codes, sure, but we can move however we want, right?”

Earth paused, blinking blankly.

『Huh?』

“So even if someone locks onto our coordinates and fires, couldn’t we just move during the delay and avoid it?”

Svera, listening from the side, blinked as well.

『…You’re right.』

Unconsciously, she nodded along with Yeongwoo.

Because planetary ships didn’t follow fixed orbits, they could, in theory, dodge attacks after coordinates were entered but before impact.

『C-Can we really do that?』

Earth’s jaw dropped as it looked at Yeongwoo.

It had never once imagined deviating from orbit, let alone dodging an orbital strike.

『…Holy crap.』

『…….』

As Earth and Pluto stood there, speechless, Yeongwoo puffed up and yelled triumphantly:

“You idiots! This is exactly why the universe made planetary ships so damn hard to build!”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]