Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

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Chapter 378: The Host (4)

‘Are you kidding me, you crazy bastard…?!’

Targeting the wreath.

This was a strategy that Yeongwoo could never have imagined.

The reason Mara had sent their wreath unusually early was ultimately to ensure it arrived on Earth before Dogo’s wreath did.

That way, they could ambush the incoming wreath.

And indeed, that was precisely what happened.

BOOM!

A laser shot from Mara’s navy-blue monolith streaked mercilessly toward Dogo’s wreath.

“Fuck!”

The ultimate evil (aka Jeong Yeongwoo07) let out a string of curses, visibly flustered.

No matter how skilled he was at dominating planetary advancement battles, his current status was merely that of a promising up-and-comer—a rising star.

Simply put, he was exceptional among the newcomers of the galactic martial arts world, but when viewed on a universal scale, he was far from being able to claim the title of "strongest."

‘The universe really is vast, huh…’

Not just in raw power, but also in sheer cunning, he was far from reaching the pinnacle of the cosmos.

‘What kind of life do you have to live to come up with tactics like that?’

Yeongwoo gritted his teeth, watching as the violet laser closed in on the gravestone-shaped wreath.

Screech.

But Yeongwoo, a fledgling in the vast cosmos, had overlooked one crucial fact.

That fact was—

Click!

“Huh?”

Just like Mara, who had sent the sniper wreath, their opponent Dogo was also a seasoned veteran of the universe.

Right before the laser could strike, the wedge-shaped emblem on Dogo’s gravestone wreath began to glow brightly.

Fwoosh!

And then—

BOOM!

Mara’s laser struck Dogo’s wreath, but nothing happened.

“…What.”

Yeongwoo’s eyes widened in shock.

‘No way… Did they send a defense system with the wreath, anticipating an attack?’

Rookie.

He was still a rookie.

Compared to seasoned villains like Dogo and Mara, Yeongwoo was still nothing more than a greenhorn.

‘Fuck. If Mara could come up with the idea of targeting the wreath, the Chairman would have anticipated that too.’

Yeongwoo slapped his forehead in frustration.

Meanwhile, Dogo’s gravestone-shaped wreath slammed into the ground in Gwangjin-gu with a thunderous crash.

BOOM!

And it landed deliberately—right next to Mara’s navy-blue monolith.

A deliberately chosen landing spot.

‘These guys are all insane…’

This was the world of the truly skilled, where the extraordinary thrived.

For the first time, Yeongwoo doubted whether he could truly survive in this universe.

Click!

The sound of a lock being released echoed from the gravestone wreath.

Then—

Thud!

A massive shadow emerged from within.

“What the—?”

It was none other than—

Guppy.

A prominent figure from the planet Jargal.

The CEO of Guppy Express.

-Yeongwoo, we meet again.

“…?”

But contrary to expectations, Guppy was not particularly eloquent.

‘That explains why he relies so heavily on gestures.’

The last time Yeongwoo encountered Guppy was at the C-class rare dungeon, Batum’s Casino.

That was also where Yeongwoo had first encountered Mara’s underlings.

At the time, it was Guppy Express employees who had defeated Mara’s henchmen and sent them packing.

So, it wasn’t surprising that Guppy himself showed up to handle this situation.

‘Well, considering Guppy Express is practically a subsidiary of Dogo, there was no need for them to outsource the delivery.’

Yeongwoo silently learned yet another lesson: having multiple subsidiaries could significantly cut costs.

It also resolved trust issues in a snap.

“Did you come here personally because of the wreath?”

Yeongwoo asked, and Guppy nodded, alternating his gaze between Dogo’s gravestone wreath and Mara’s navy-blue monolith before giving a thumbs-up.

It seemed to indicate the delivery was completed successfully.

Yeongwoo couldn’t help but ask.

“Um… Guppy, does our wreath have any special features too?”

As someone experiencing these galactic wreaths for the first time, everything was new to Yeongwoo.

Even the hammer-shaped wreath sent by Kwaya’s Hammer had a criminal-detection feature, and Mara’s wreath needed no further explanation.

‘It seems customary to include some kind of functionality in these wreaths…’

As Yeongwoo pondered and waited for an answer, Guppy pointed to Mara’s navy-blue monolith.

-We’ll send it back.

“Pardon…?”

Before Yeongwoo could fully process the meaning, Guppy was already looking skyward.

‘Oh, come on…’

It was obvious to anyone what “sending it back” implied.

“Mara won’t send another wreath, right? They’re not planning to attack the main ceremony with a ship, are they?”

If such a thing happened, wouldn’t Mara retaliate?

The wedding would literally turn into a battlefield.

-We’ll send it back!

Guppy raised a stubby finger to the sky.

It was clear now.

The wreath Guppy brought was also a sniper turret, just like Mara’s.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me… They’re all the same lunatics.’

Feeling overwhelmed, Yeongwoo cautiously grabbed Guppy’s thick arm and pleaded.

“Look, I get it. Pride battles are fine, but shouldn’t we at least ensure the wedding goes smoothly? My success benefits the Chairman too, doesn’t it?”

This wedding had to go well for Yeongwoo to complete the Roots Restoration achievement and establish a family.

Only then could he acquire a spaceship to either invade other planets or meet the three pioneers.

“So… could you deactivate the sniper function? There’s still time before the main ceremony…”

Yeongwoo gestured toward the gravestone wreath, pleading.

But Guppy simply pointed to the sky again.

-Chairman’s orders.

“…”

Yeongwoo was left speechless.

Of course, a mere delivery agent like Guppy wouldn’t have the authority to override the Chairman’s instructions.

And surely, the Chairman wasn’t oblivious to the consequences of activating a ship-mounted sniper system at a wedding.

This could only mean one thing: the Chairman had some plan to handle the aftermath.

Unless, of course, he intended to abandon Earth altogether.

‘Damn it… In the end, if things go south, everyone’s going down.’

Yeongwoo turned his gaze toward the City Self-Destruct button—a privilege of the Metal Seoul Mayor.

The massive bomb buried under Gwangjin-gu’s surface, known only to Yeongwoo, Jeonggu, and Jiseon, could only be activated by the Mayor himself.

Slide.

Finally, Guppy held out a massive metal plate to Yeongwoo.

-Sign here.

It resembled the signature plates that the previous delivery drivers had handed over.

When Yeongwoo placed his palm on it, Guppy examined the plate for a moment before nodding.

-It’s all set.

Then, staring at the empty Gwangjin District, he added:

-Congratulations!

Right on cue, Jeonggu and Jiseon appeared from the other side.

Hearing the sound of Mara’s celebratory wreaths firing off, they had come rushing over in a panic.

"Hey, Yeongwoo!"

—What’s going on here?

The duo's attention was immediately drawn to the alien wreaths that stood out prominently.

The sizes increased in order: Dogo, Mara, and Kwaya's Hammer, with the largest, Dogo's wreath, towering around 30 meters high.

No one could guess how big the wedding hall arriving later this afternoon would be, but chances were it wouldn’t be as massive as the wreath.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Ah… There’s quite a problem, but it’s not something you two can solve, so don’t worry about it."

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As Yeongwoo said this, he looked to the sky, and Jeonggu instinctively followed his son's gaze, sensing impending doom.

“…What now? What crazy thing are you planning this time?”

“I wish it were me. This time, it’s not.”

Concern filled Yeongwoo’s eyes.

This only deepened the fear on Jeonggu’s face.

If this reckless son of his was worried, it had to be something truly out of the ordinary.

-I must leave.

With that, Guppy retrieved the metal plate from Yeongwoo and looked toward the sky.

Then—

Whoosh!

A previously clear sky was suddenly pierced by an elevator encased in thick chains, plummeting at high speed.

"Guppy Express!"

Presumably, a Guppy Express ship was waiting beyond the sky.

-Congratulations to you as well!

Guppy bowed toward Jeonggu and Jiseon before detaching the chains from the elevator, which now rested on the ground.

Clank!

Leaving the elevator behind, Guppy wrapped the chain’s end around his arm.

"Wait, Guppy?"

Clearly, he intended to use the chain to return to his ship.

But what about the elevator?

"Hold on! Why are you leaving that behind?"

Yeongwoo pointed to the abandoned elevator, prompting Guppy to give him a signature thumbs-up and a faint smile.

-A memento. Congratulations!

“What?”

Before Yeongwoo could say more, Guppy was yanked upward by the chain, soaring into the sky.

Whoosh!

Leaving behind what looked like a heap of scrap metal, Guppy vanished into the heavens.

"Hey, Guppy! Aren’t you going to leave any wedding gift?"

Yeongwoo shouted into the void, but Guppy was already out of sight, disappearing into the distant sky.

And just like that—

Pop!

He was gone, leaving Yeongwoo, Jiseon, and Jeonggu to stare at the now pristine sky.

"Still, the wedding hasn’t even started yet. What on earth is all this?"

Jeonggu muttered, gazing at the now-clear sky.

Meanwhile, Yeongwoo scratched his cheek, already moving on to the next step.

“For an event this big, even the prelude isn’t ordinary. Anyway, are you both ready for the rehearsal? I’m about to call Kubu.”

Whatever chaos might unfold later, the wedding preparations had to continue.

"Kubu, are you there?"

As Yeongwoo summoned the tax advisor, the space between the three stretched horizontally, and Kubu emerged, eyes blinking open.

-Yes, standing by. The ceremony is imminent.

Terrible news for Jeonggu and Jiseon.

But Yeongwoo ignored their grim expressions and asked Kubu:

“This is still an official wedding, so there must be some mandatory procedures, right?”

-That is correct.

“So, what essential steps are required? We need to finish the rehearsal in the morning and prepare to receive guests in the afternoon.”

Kubu blinked his large eyes a few times, scanning the still-desolate Gwangjin District.

-According to the family court’s ceremonial protocol, the essential steps are: the entrance of the participants, declaration of agreement, exchange of tokens, and the blessing by a representative guarantor.

“A representative guarantor's blessing? Like a speech?”

-That is correct.

“Then for our wedding, we can include a ranking of monetary gifts and an event where the top contributor ejects a guest, right?”

-…

Kubu didn’t reply.

“Is it possible?”

-…Yes, it is. The necessary facilities are already being prepared. However…

“However?”

-The participants’ entrance traditionally requires the accompaniment of their family heads.

“Wait, by family heads, you mean the parents?”

Given the term “family head,” it could mean grandparents or older ancestors.

Apparently, even in a cosmic wedding, it was customary for the parents of the couple to accompany them.

-They do not have to be parents, but they must be the family heads or possess equivalent qualifications.

“Then isn’t that me? I’m the host, after all.”

That was true.

Yeongwoo had planned and executed the entire event.

Even the guests were practically all his.

That is correct. As the family head, you may accompany the participants. However, as there is only one family head in this case, you must choose.

“Choose? You mean who to walk with?”

-That is correct.

“Ah.”

Yeongwoo finally understood.

Traditionally, the family heads of the couple would accompany them during the entrance.

However, since this wedding involved the parents marrying each other, there weren’t enough family heads.

“Well, both sets of parents’ parents are dead.”

Yeongwoo blinked as he said this, and Kubu elaborated:

-One participant will have to enter without a family head.

“Really?”

-But it is no simple task. The entrance serves as a test of the participants’ qualities.

“A test? What do you mean?”

-During the entrance, all guests are permitted to test the participants’ composure and courage using any means, as long as it does not cause harm as defined by the family court.

“Damn it, what kind of nonsense is that?”

Despite his words, Yeongwoo understood.

Even Earth had similar customs.

But still—

"Wait… given the state of my guests, you're allowing composure and courage tests?"

-It is a tradition permitted by the family court, and we cannot intervene.

“This is messed up.”

So, who would face an aisle filled with intergalactic villains alone?

Yeongwoo turned around to find Jeonggu and Jiseon, who had been listening to the conversation, wearing complicated expressions.

Well, it was only Jeonggu’s expression that was visible.

A mix of regret, fear, and sorrow was written all over his face.

Even his fingertips trembled slightly at the thought of navigating such a terrifying wedding hall.

Then—

Clap!

Jiseon stepped forward and quietly spoke:

—You bring him in.

“Huh? What about you, Mom?”

—I’ve proven myself enough. What’s there to be afraid of? I’ll go alone, bride’s entrance!

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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