Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 410: Collection (2)

A will of Earth.

This was something Yeongwoo had never even imagined.

No, the very idea that this planet beneath his feet had a consciousness… Was that even possible?

‘That makes no sense. Earth can think and even speak?’

On the other hand, Toma, a cosmic being, seemed to have trouble understanding Yeongwoo’s disbelief.

— Compared to this planet, you are nothing more than a grain of sand. It is curious that you thought you could turn it into a spaceship without its consent.

"H-Hold on… but I’ve never seen Earth talk in my entire life!"

Toma let out a low chuckle and pointed at Yeongwoo’s feet with a finger.

— Do you talk to the insects beneath you?

‘W-what…?’

Yeongwoo was left speechless, his mouth slightly agape.

After all, just a few days ago, he had been nothing more than one among billions of humans on Earth.

And that was before the world had even connected to real space.

In other words, Earth had likely never felt the need to communicate with someone like him.

"But the situation is different now, isn’t it? Earth is now linked to the universe, and it has already been reset…"

Of course, this was all just from the perspective of Earth’s inhabitants.

To Toma, who had lived in the vastness of space far longer than Yeongwoo, the reset was nothing more than a trivial complaint.

— All lower-grade planets communicate only with selected individuals.

"What? What does that mean?"

Yeongwoo’s eyes widened before he quickly realized the implication.

"Oh, don’t tell me…"

The method of selecting a few individuals from the countless people on Earth.

He had heard about this before.

Planetary equity holders.

[The planet you are affiliated with is currently in an unclassified, neutral status. In the future, planetary equity will be determined based on the accumulated tax payments.]

This was something Yeongwoo had learned directly from the tax office registrar, Jiazol.

The planetary equity of the reset Earth would be distributed to diligent taxpayers, and the proportion would be based on accumulated tax payments.

In other words, the more taxes one had paid, the greater their share of planetary equity.

If, at the time of distribution, there was only one diligent taxpayer, that person could monopolize the planetary equity.

And that was exactly what Yeongwoo aimed to do.

"If I become a planetary equity holder, I’ll be able to talk to Earth?"

Having finally grasped the system of this universe, Yeongwoo looked down at the ground instead of up at the sky.

"……."

Then, as a thought struck him, he raised his head again.

"By the way."

— ……?

"Why don’t the President or the Chairman use planetary-class ships? I heard they’re incredibly powerful."

— That’s because…

Toma rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache.

Thud.

It was such an obvious fact on a cosmic level that he didn’t even know where to begin explaining.

— The opportunity to create a planetary-class ship usually only comes once.

"Once? Why?"

Before Toma could respond, Yeongwoo figured it out on his own.

"Oh, because planets only communicate with selected individuals."

— Correct.

In other words, if someone failed to persuade their home planet, they wouldn’t get another chance to build a planetary-class ship.

That explained why even the mighty Chairman Dogo didn’t own one.

"Wow. Is persuading a planet really that difficult?"

Now that he understood the value of planetary-class ships, Yeongwoo blinked in amazement.

Toma looked up at the sky and spoke.

— High-grade planets are arrogant, and low-grade planets are fearful.

For some reason, his voice seemed to touch upon an old memory, as if he, too, had once tried persuading a planet.

— Moreover, facing a planet directly is no simple task. The planet itself chooses who it speaks with.

Even among the selected individuals, only those chosen by the planet could actually have an audience with it.

‘Damn, that’s ridiculously complicated.’

Of course, Earth’s situation was somewhat unique.

After all, it had the notorious Jeong Yeongwoo07 within it.

‘The planet gets to pick who it talks to? Then all I have to do is make sure I’m the only option.’

There were probably very few beings in the universe who had ever held 100% planetary equity and personally spoken with their planet.

That was exactly why planetary-class ships were so rare.

"If planetary-class ships are that valuable, I definitely want to make one."

Yeongwoo spoke with a sense of determination, prompting Toma to resume walking toward the exit.

— Whatever ship you build, you’ll need a main cannon. If you plan to engage in many battles, buy one from Toma.

Even in this situation, Toma was still pushing sales.

As Yeongwoo nodded, Toma soon disappeared beyond the ceremonial hall’s exit.

Meanwhile, from the ‘back route,’ Jiseon, who had been seeing off the guests, approached with an exhausted voice.

—Ugh, is it finally over?

"We’re almost done."

Yeongwoo’s gaze shifted to Kobu, who was approaching while carefully carrying something with both hands.

"Kobu, what is that?"

He looked at the golden box resting in Kobu’s hands.

Of course, he already had a pretty good guess.

Behind Kobu, Chobu and Tobu were each carrying ominous wedding gifts—one was a lightning rod, and the other was a grotesque eyeball.

So, naturally, that golden box had to be…

—It’s the wedding gift, Boss.

"Oh. So cash is processed like this, huh? This is my first time at a wedding, so I didn’t know."

As Yeongwoo scratched his cheek, Kobu cautiously extended his arms, offering the golden box.

—If you touch it, the funds will be deposited immediately.

"…Oh."

The moment he realized he was about to receive hundreds of billions in cash, a shiver ran down his spine.

"Hoo."

Yeongwoo took a deep breath.

Then, without hesitation, he reached out and touched the golden wedding gift box.

Tack.

Golden sparks erupted between Yeongwoo and the box, followed by a massive system message.

「Congratulatory money secured: 34,842,650,000 Karma.」

“Huh… how much?”

Yeongwoo blinked rapidly.

34.8 billion Karma.

It was an amount difficult to grasp.

And even more shocking—

-The 5 billion bounty verbally agreed upon by the priest and the remaining wedding hall balance have been prepaid.

“……!”

In other words, the original total amount of congratulatory money exceeded 40 billion.

‘Wait, there's also the commission from Oseok Credit.’

As Yeongwoo took out the metal piece he had received from Daouk, he noticed it was glowing.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

“Huh?”

Whatever it was, it was currently in operation.

And then—

Piiiaaaat!

A faint beam of light shot through the wedding hall ceiling and was absorbed into the metal piece.

‘A deposit…!’

Since the congratulatory money had been settled, it was about time Oseok Credit transferred the funds.

Crack!

Cracks spread across the metal piece like a spider web before it shattered completely, displaying another system message.

「1,132,000,000 Karma has been transferred from 'Oseok Credit'.」

1.13 billion.

‘What the hell? How much interest did these guys take?’

Yeongwoo was astonished at the unexpectedly large amount.

Seeing this, Kobu offered a quiet piece of advice.

-Since this is a large sum, taxes will be imposed. You should prepare accordingly.

“What? Even congratulatory money is taxed?”

Yeongwoo was momentarily outraged, but quickly calmed down.

‘No, actually, this could be a good thing. To obtain shares, I need to pay a lot of taxes anyway.’

With the money from Oseok Credit included, his earnings from the wedding alone amounted to a staggering 35.9 billion Karma.

Even after taxes, he would still hold assets worth over 10 billion.

“How much is the tax rate? These bastards… they’re going to take a huge cut, aren't they?”

At Yeongwoo’s question, Kobu shrugged.

-I believe it's around 30%.

“What?”

That meant over 10 billion Karma would be taken in taxes.

“If it’s 30%… how much is left?”

This time, Jeonggu chimed in.

“About 25 billion.”

“Oh… not bad.”

“For someone like you, that's way too much money, isn’t it?”

Jeonggu joked, half-seriously.

He knew what kind of person Yeongwoo was even when he was broke.

And now, Yeongwoo had access to 25 billion Karma.

Jeonggu feared what he would do with that kind of money.

“What do you plan to do with it?”

“Money? First, I should enhance my combat power…”

Yeongwoo rested his hand on Bastard at his waist.

Another gain from this wedding was the experience of confronting high-level beings.

Although it was more of an "encounter" than an actual battle, he had still caught a glimpse of how powerful 4th-tier entities were.

‘If President Toma had fought seriously, I wouldn’t have lasted a single exchange. He might have subdued me with sheer presence alone.’

So, his first priority was investing in his stats.

The second—

“I need to upgrade the city to raise its level. Especially if I plan to build a planetary battleship.”

“…And then?”

“I have to establish a family. That’s bound to cost a fair amount, too, isn’t it?”

As he spoke, Yeongwoo's gaze landed on the Family achievement.

At some point, its completion requirements were nearly fulfilled.

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

=Obtain a mother and father.

=Reunite your parents.

-Receive a blessing from your complete parents.

“Oh, a family. Right.”

Jeonggu suddenly realized that he had just gotten married.

Jiseon also sensed something ominous and looked between her son and husband.

—…Why a family? Isn’t this whole damned wedding enough?

No, it wasn’t.

The Prestigious Family achievement hadn’t been completed yet, and Yeongwoo saw no prompts related to establishing a family.

Looking at his recently reunited parents, Yeongwoo finally spoke.

“Receive a blessing from your complete parents.”

“What?”

—What are you talking about?

“The achievement says I need to be blessed by my parents.”

Jiseon and Jeonggu exchanged looks.

For the first time since the Reset, they wore identical expressions.

They unconsciously made awkward faces.

After all, suddenly blessing a son who was practically a walking disaster wasn’t exactly easy.

“…These bastards, really.”

Seeing their hesitation, Yeongwoo immediately drew Bastard.

Shwaaaat!

Kobu, who was watching from nearby, murmured softly.

-Hug him.

“…What?”

“…Huh?”

Startled by the unexpected suggestion, Yeongwoo's family all turned to stare at Kobu.

“…What did you just say?”

-Hug him, and tell him you're happy he was born. That should do it.

Kobu spoke as if he had either received or given such a blessing before.

Yeongwoo wanted to ask about his past, but he couldn’t—

Because his mother was already approaching him with open arms.

—Yes, Yeongwoo! You were born well!

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]