Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

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Chapter 459: High-Growth Stock (3)

An eternal mutual non-aggression pact passed down through generations.

The ones most shocked by Maon’s proposal were none other than the other four families.

—Ma, Maon…?

—What do you mean by that?

The oldest family among them was now proposing a mutual non-aggression pact with a fledgling house that had barely existed for a single day…

And not just any pact — an “eternal” mutual non-aggression pact passed down through generations.

This implied that the opposing family — that is, Renaissance — was expected to rise to such heights that it would need to be checked forever.

—Maon, surely you haven’t been taken in by the nonsense of that savage?

Shirach’s head, Emel, stepped in front of Maon as he spoke.

Because if Maon proceeded to invest in Renaissance, the aftermath would be obvious.

The other families present would scramble to align themselves with Renaissance, and then that insane new family head's claim of growing by a hundred million years every day could very well become reality.

—You’ll regret this, without a doubt.

As Emel said this, eyes gleaming, Maon quietly responded, having stared at him the entire time.

—Emel, I sense fear in your eyes.

—…!

—Step aside. Now that I’ve spoken, the future is already printed on the records.

He meant that the moment he declared his intention to invest, the future of Renaissance had already taken shape to some degree.

And with this move, the hearts of the other family heads would certainly be swayed — Renaissance would not be destroyed here today.

Then Maon added a final remark:

—But whether that future has been recorded into eternity… that’s something I’ll have to discuss with the man.

Swish.

Maon raised a finger again — pointing not at Emel, but at the figure beyond him: Jeong Yeongwoo07.

—……

At last, Emel stepped aside, allowing Maon and Yeongwoo to speak.

—This is disgraceful, Maon.

—Is striving for eternal prosperity disgraceful? Then we’ve all been living in shame.

The old family head who wouldn’t yield a single word even to the most powerful family in the lower galaxy.

‘What a remarkable old man.’

Yeongwoo felt that the heads of these families, who hadn’t caught his eye until now, were starting to gain distinct colors.

Especially this Maon — in some ways, practically a savior of his life.

But that didn’t mean Yeongwoo intended to grovel.

As Maon said, this was an investment.

A long-term investment with eyes not just on the future — but beyond eternity itself.

“It’s an honor, Head Maon. You’ll be my very first investor.”

As Yeongwoo said this and stepped forward to greet Maon, he naturally moved closer to Emel as well.

—……

On the surface, Emel looked as if he was ready to draw his sword at any moment, but Yeongwoo had already seen through him — he would never strike first.

Surprisingly, he had come to realize that even in this universe, there existed a sense of reverence for those who had lived long.

‘The universe… it considers status, age… what a tangled place.’

Of course, there was no doubt that power remained the top metric.

Take Mara, the King of Ten Thousand Demons — a being close to pure evil.

Would he show any reverence for someone just because they had lived long?

Far from it — he’d more likely say, “You’ve lived long enough. Time to vanish,” and strike them down.

So in that sense, this Emel showing respect to Maon probably wasn’t…

‘So he’s not some extreme evildoer. That makes the lower galaxy a nest of decently good guys, surprisingly.’

While Yeongwoo pondered this, Maon — the family head of Tisef — approached, leading a massive sphere.

—What I want, right now, is only eternal mutual non-aggression. Name your price.

A thoroughly defensive stance — he didn’t want to get involved with Renaissance in any other way.

It was likely his way of cutting off as many unpredictable variables as possible.

But “eternity” was not something even Yeongwoo could dare predict.

“Isn’t eternity a bit too much? Let’s settle on non-aggression during my term.”

At that, Maon burst out laughing for the first time.

—And how many days do you think you have left to live? A hundred years, if you're lucky?

In truth, with the way Yeongwoo headbutted even new planets on first contact, it wasn’t even clear if he could make it to next week — let alone a hundred years.

—I will gladly overestimate you. From what I see, walking a hundred million years a day is something only you can do — because you are the family head.

‘Hoo?’

Just as Yeongwoo was about to shrug at this unexpected praise, Maon continued.

—But what about your descendants?

“Excuse me?”

—Will your successors be like you?

“Yeah.”

Yeongwoo hadn’t thought that far ahead, so his mouth clamped shut.

He had accomplished more than the achievements of other families spanning thousands of years, day by day.

So he hadn’t had the luxury to consider anything beyond what was happening in the present.

—If you build a mighty foundation for your house, your family, your planet, and your race will likely endure for thousands of years to come.

In other words—

—It means that you are destined to not exist for an exceedingly long time.

“…!”

—So my ‘eternal’ offer is a gesture of goodwill toward your legacy. Can’t you see that?

“M-Master Ma…!”

Truly worthy of being the eldest — what a mind-blowing turn of phrase.

If they made a pact of eternal non-aggression today, it meant that even when the power of Renaissance waned thousands or millions of years later, their safety would be guaranteed.

However, Maon had overlooked one thing.

“…But, Master.”

That was none other than Jeong Yeongwoo07, standing alive right before them.

“You haven’t been listening carefully to what I said.”

—What?

“I didn’t say a hundred million years a week. I said a hundred million years per day. Hard to grasp, isn’t it?”

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—…!

As Emel had once warned, he was indeed an outrageous one.

At Yeongwoo’s brazen tone, the heads of the houses around him flinched and glanced at each other nervously.

“A hundred million years’ worth of progress every day means I can accumulate more than enough power during my term. Even if a monkey becomes the next head, no other family will dare challenge us.”

—That is arrogance, young head.

Maon’s voice carried a slight hint of anger.

Sensing it was time to apply the brakes, Yeongwoo slightly softened his tone.

“I am rather arrogant. So if you want to negotiate ‘eternity’ with someone like me, wouldn’t that drive the price even higher?”

—…

It wasn’t a wrong point.

“So if you truly want an eternal non-aggression pact, try talking to my successor once my term ends.”

He was suggesting they negotiate under better terms with someone more reasonable than himself.

After all, the head of Renaissance at their peak — Jeong Yeongwoo — would be much harder to deal with than whoever followed.

But Yeongwoo’s ploy was quickly seen through.

—You, who live in mere moments, are unwilling to accept even the slightest loss.

Maon rested his chin on his clasped hands.

—No doubt your house will flourish during your term. But if the pact loses power the moment your term ends…

In that case, every house that had once agreed to a non-aggression treaty would once again knock on the door of Renaissance.

More precisely, they would all gather before the new head of Renaissance.

Yeongwoo’s refusal to carelessly sign an “eternal” treaty as the founder of his house was actually a strategy to empower the next leader.

After hearing Maon’s words, Yeongwoo had quickly considered the long term — and came up with the best option available to him.

“Of course, it’s possible I won’t have a successor. In that case, wouldn’t this simply be a fair trade — an appropriate price for a limited term?”

—…

Regardless, since it appeared the current head of Renaissance had no intention of selling “eternity,” Maon fell into contemplation.

He, too, had to think of the future.

If he failed to secure eternal peace with this mad house now, he’d essentially be leaving a burden for his own successor.

“Are you uncertain? You might even meet my successor in person one day.”

—The future is not something to be predicted lightly.

“But at the very least, you’ll enjoy peace during my term, won’t you? So for now, just wish me a long life.”

Yeongwoo brought the negotiation to a close.

And upon seeing the look in his eyes, Maon realized he had no other option.

—How audacious you are.

“After today, we’ll be the masters of the planetary fleet. Our value will skyrocket with each passing day — and that’ll be true even after my term ends.”

So said Yeongwoo as he looked up at the sky.

He was likely referring to the vast universe — somewhere out there, holding the press plates.

“That’s why I’ve decided not to make predictions about the future value. I hope you, too, focus on the present.”

And at that moment, blue beams of light suddenly rained down from the sky beyond Earth.

Fwoooosh!

It was nearing 1 p.m., and the monster markers were beginning to descend.

‘Wait, hold on—’

Just as Yeongwoo feared, the sky turned red, and a thunderous voice boomed from above.

KWA-RANG!

—Have you prepared someone to face me?

—Let the brave speak their name!

A high-risk mutant on its 9th day had appeared in Seoul, seeking a challenger.

As usual, a draconic entity had been assigned to Seoul.

—How noisy.

Maon looked up at the sky with interest, entertained by the surprise show.

On the other hand, Emel—

—Everything from Earth is rude, I see. Can’t you see the presence of the heads of houses?

Already in a foul mood, he jabbed at the sky with a furious voice.

But his remark only provoked the other party.

—What? You impudent little shit… What’s your name?

—How dare you? I am Emel, Deputy head of the Shirach family…

At that moment Emel stated his name—

Fwaaang!

A General marker descended directly onto Emel’s head.

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