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Chapter 268: Highway (3)
“What the—”
Choi Moonsoon, the Strongest Sword of Jeju, was left speechless, her mouth hanging open.
It was simply too absurd.
Not only had the orcs taken over Australia, but they were now demanding their right to survival.
“How, how did this happen? I mean, how did they even...”
While she wanted to personally smash the heads of those crazy creatures, she had seen the prowess of the orc army earlier.
Thus, Moonsoon had no choice but to plead with Jeong Yeongwoo, the top problem solver of the Korean Peninsula and the “Strongest Sword.”
“Do something about them, Strongest Sword!”
Yeongwoo, who had been thinking with a blink of his eyes, stepped forward.
“…Shall I?”
However, Yeongwoo's actions as the elected “Strongest Sword” by the people of the Korean Peninsula far surpassed Moonsoon’s expectations.
The first thing he did in front of the “Red Foot” orc legion was—
“Oh, Bantubangtong!”
—to call the orc leader’s name with a tone of admiration.
“What...?”
Moonsoon widened her eyes and stared at Yeongwoo, but the strongest man of the peninsula took another step toward the coast without concern.
“The principle of this planet, Earth, is survival of the fittest! The strong survive, and those who stand last are the owners of the land!”
“Strongest Sword... What are you talking about right now!”
This was a statement that had been discussed with no one, not even Moonsoon.
But Yeongwoo had no intention of consulting anyone at this gathering.
Wasn’t Jeong Yeongwoo elected as the “Strongest Sword” to make bold decisions for the Korean Peninsula without complicated decision-making processes?
Moreover, through past disclosures, voters had enough information.
They knew very well that Jeong Yeongwoo was not someone who acted conventionally.
‘But they probably expected that his unconventional actions would ultimately benefit the nation when they elected me.’
Therefore, the only duty Yeongwoo had to uphold as the Strongest Sword was one.
To ensure that all his actions eventually led to national interest.
As long as he did that, he believed he could maintain his position as the Strongest Sword, no matter what decisions he made.
Such were the tough times of survival.
A time desperately in need of strong leaders and representatives.
As proof of this, a staggering 76.8% of the peninsula's people had bet on Yeongwoo’s “unconventionality.”
Hence, Yeongwoo declared,
“Orc survival rights? As the representative of the Korean Peninsula and the future master of Earth, I, Jeong Yeongwoo07, will guarantee them!”
He decided to guarantee the orcs’ right to survive.
And this was virtually tantamount to granting the orcs the right to rule Earth.
“Are you crazy? What are you going to do!”
As expected, Moonsoon grabbed Yeongwoo’s shoulders and shook them furiously.
Even Kim Hyungbeom, the Strongest Sword of Haenam, who had been holding his breath until now, cautiously expressed his concern.
“Orc survival rights... I also voted for you in the approval poll, but this seems like a different issue.”
“What’s the problem?”
“Uh... They’re not human?”
“If they’re not human, do we have to go to war?”
“Well, uh... of course not, but...”
“They’re originally monsters, so it’s different. But if their claims are true, it means they have been dealing with Australia’s mutants for at least two days. That shows they have significant power.”
“Oh.”
Hyungbeom made a subtle expression, as if he hadn’t thought that far.
“Imagine how much effort those monsters, not even mutants, must have put in to deal with the human named ones in the Australian region and conquer the continent. I think we need to hear their side of the story.”
“...?”
Feeling that something was slightly off, Hyungbeom opened his mouth again, but Yeongwoo continued.
“They have already proven their survival ability, and most importantly, they are the de facto rulers of Australia. If we fight the orcs, we might gain Australian land... but how will we manage that vast and barren continent?”
“So, are you going to just leave the ones who killed people and took over Australia alone?”
“Who are those people? Are they your family, Hyungbeom? They have no relation to us, and for the already dead people, resetting the Australian continent again is pointless.”
“No, but still...!”
Hyungbeom seemed unable to agree emotionally.
Of course, as a human being before anything else, Yeongwoo could understand his feelings.
“They are the ones who killed people and took away human territories. But on the other hand, they are also beings who came to an unfamiliar planet and became the prey of humans. Was Australia an unconditional victim?”
“...”
From a human standpoint, it was pure sophistry, but the argument itself wasn’t entirely without merit.
Monsters were generally considered prey.
However, due to geographical characteristics, humans couldn’t dominate Australia, and thus were pushed back by the tactically skilled orcs.
“This planet is changing much more and faster than you think. Compared to what will happen in the future, the fact that a single, smallest continent has fallen to a different race is not that surprising.”
In fact, Yeongwoo thought this might actually be a good thing.
At this point, where humanity is moving beyond globalization to becoming interstellar, he thought it might not be bad if the composition of ‘Earth citizens’ became a little more diverse.
Of course, this was such a radical idea that he never voiced it aloud for fear it might be recorded somewhere.
“They said that if humans don't guarantee the orcs' right to survival, there will be nothing but war. That means, if we guarantee their right to survival, there will be options other than war. Right?”
At Yeongwoo's words, both the Strongest Swords of Haenam and Jeju nodded blankly.
Yeongwoo's thoughts were so unrealistic and extreme that their thought processes were overloaded.
“What... What other option is there? What do they want?”
Eventually, Choi Moonsoon, the Strongest Sword of Jeju, asked the crucial question, and Yeongwoo replied as if he had been waiting for it.
“Taxes. I want the orcs to become affiliated citizens of the Korean Peninsula before they become residents of Earth.”
“...?”
“To do that, they need to fulfill their civic duty, starting with paying taxes.”
“You want to collect taxes from the orcs?”
“We've collected taxes from humans so far, is there any reason we can't collect from orcs?”
“My goodness.”
“What we guarantee in return for these harsh taxes is not just the orcs' lives.”
The term "harsh taxes" sent a chill down Moonsoon's spine, but she was more curious about Yeongwoo's next words, so she didn't point it out.
“...So, what do we guarantee the orcs?”
“We guarantee the future of their race.”
“...!”
“If the orcs pay their taxes properly, they will thrive in Australia.”
* * *
Kwaaang!
Finally, as Jeju Island and Meganesia touched, a tremendous shock wave swept through the area, reminiscent of an earthquake.
Fwoosh!
“Ugh!”
“Oh my goodness.”
Even the brave swordsmen of Jeju, who had held their ground until this moment, hesitated, and both the Strongest Swords of Haenam and Jeju looked ahead, brushing their hair aside.
Because—
“Graaah!”
“Guwooor!”
The furious orcs on the other side were shouting, claiming their right to survival.
Thanks to Yeongwoo's intervention, they didn't immediately cross the continental border.
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“Are you coming with me?”
When Yeongwoo asked this, turning to the two Strongest Swords, Hyungbeom asked back hesitantly.
“W-where are you talking about?”
“Where else?”
Yeongwoo pointed towards the Australian continent, where thousands of heavily armed orcs were in battle formation.
“You don't have to come, but when else will you get a chance to sit at a negotiation table with orcs?”
As Yeongwoo said this, one side of the orc line really parted, and from within, large orcs emerged, carrying a large iron table and chairs like a coffin.
A literal “negotiation table” appeared.
Boom!
The iron table was placed on the barren land of Australia.
Then, the orc lord Bantubangtong spread his palm and pointed to the table.
“If you have courage, sit across from me.”
“Hmmm.”
Without a word, Yeongwoo left Jeju Island and set foot in Australia.
Thud.
Then, after a moment of hesitation, Choi Moonsoon slung her greatsword over her shoulder and followed Yeongwoo.
On the other hand, Kim Hyungbeom said,
“I... I'll stay here just in case.”
Unlike the other two Strongest Swords, he chose psychological stability.
No matter how strong Jeong Yeongwoo was, he couldn't muster the courage to enter the midst of thousands of orcs with him.
Even if this scene was recorded and used as footage in a future election, it didn't matter.
Hyungbeom had no intention of running for the “Strongest Sword” election anyway.
“Yes. It's good to have someone covering our backs.”
Yeongwoo encouraged Hyungbeom, then walked up to the iron table surrounded by orcs.
A large shadow with "Golden Trail" loomed over him.
“Woooo...”
Seeing this, the orcs slowly pointed their swords at Yeongwoo with tense expressions.
“What is that?”
Bantubangtong asked on behalf of everyone, and Yeongwoo glanced back and replied,
“As you can see, it's a sword. It won't attack without my command, so don't worry.”
Then, looking at the chair in front of him, Yeongwoo spoke again.
“On Earth, it's polite for the superior to sit first. So I'll sit first.”
“What?”
While Bantubangtong frowned, Yeongwoo had already pulled out the chair and sat down.
He gestured for Choi Moonsoon to sit as well.
“Ah.”
As Choi Moonsoon looked at the orc lord and tried to pull out his chair, Bantubangtong quickly sat down first.
'Simple-minded, just as he looks.'
Yeongwoo was confident the negotiation would end successfully.
“As I mentioned earlier, I will guarantee your right to survival.”
Bantubangtong rested his arms on the table and interlaced his fingers.
“How?”
“Simply by not attacking you immediately, I have already kept my promise.”
“Ha!”
Bantubangtong laughed, opening his mouth wide enough to show his uvula.
“Look, human. You’re bigger than the Australians, and you shoot well with your bow.”
As he said this, the large orcs, each positioned by unit, all turned towards the table.
They were the exceptionally large orcs who had thrown spears across the sea earlier.
“But you can't threaten us alone. Without an army, it might be us who need to demand the right to survive.”
“...”
Yeongwoo realized why the orcs were so tactically skilled.
They lacked the concept of overwhelmingly powerful asymmetric forces like powerful mages or nuclear missiles, so they had to develop tactics that maximized small forces to create significant effects.
After a moment's thought, Yeongwoo spoke slowly.
“You still don't understand Earth, Bantubangtong.”
“What?”
“The Australia you invaded is the weakest of Earth's four continents.”
“...!”
“If the Swordtain knew Earth well, you would have been more anxious seeing me come here alone.”
“What... Are you saying you can face the legion alone?”
Bantubangtong looked incredulous, his interlaced fingers now separated.
Then Yeongwoo suddenly stood up and drew his sword, Bastard.
“Not just the legion. I will fight against planets in the future!”
With that, he swung his sword, slicing through the negotiation table as if it were tofu.
“This... this madman!”
As the startled Bantubangtong stood up and drew his sword, thousands of orcs aimed their weapons at Yeongwoo and Moonsoon.
“Strongest Sword! You crazy bastard! Why did you ask me to follow if this was your plan? Is this a negotiation?”
The pale-faced Choi Moonsoon shouted, but Yeongwoo stood firmly, staring at the orc lord.
“From now on, I'll kill about a hundred and drink the blood of the rest.”
“You fool, before you swing your sword a hundred times, you’ll...!”
While Bantubangtong retorted with his outdated thinking, Yeongwoo looked up and shouted.
“Earth, 006! 491! 8832! 017!”
Amazingly, the orcs also looked up.
It was one of their common tactics, a shower of spears.
Though they didn't understand the coordinates, they recognized it as a call for support.
“No, it can't be...”
As Bantubangtong looked at the sky with disbelief, a gigantic laser beam, Earth's proud asymmetric force, shot down from the sky.
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