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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 359: Astronaut (3)
"What the hell?"
Yeongwoo frowned deeply.
But no other response came from the empty space he glared at.
Only this:
「Royalty, please take a bench. All other participants, please use the chairs.」
The same message as before appeared once again.
‘Is it telling me to shut up and just follow orders?’
Irritated by the blatant discrimination, Yeongwoo turned to the caramel knight.
"Excuse me."
-Yes?
"Forgive me for asking, but are you royalty?"
-Huh…?
The caramel knight's yellowish head morphed into a wide circular shape.
He then alternated his gaze between the bench he sat on and Yeongwoo’s feet, as if to say, ‘Can’t you tell by the fact I’m on the bench?’
-I am Aldo, the second prince of the Shelbir Royal Family from the planet Doatel.
A second prince, hailing from a place called the planet Doatel.
He remained seated on the bench, bowing politely with folded arms and only inclining his waist.
“……”
Yeongwoo quietly observed the prince’s greeting before stepping toward him with purposeful strides.
Clank, clank.
At that moment, the system issued a warning.
「Combat in the waiting room is strictly prohibited.」
"Oh no, nothing like that."
Yeongwoo grinned widely.
He sheathed his sword back at his waist and extended a hand to Aldo, the prince from Doatel.
"I'm Jeong Yeongwoo07 from Earth."
-Earth…?
Hearing a planetary name for the first time, Aldo’s head quivered like jelly.
"Yes, it’s an obscure planet you wouldn’t have heard of yet."
Yeongwoo gave a bitter smile and approached Aldo again.
-Wha... What?
Startled, Aldo twisted his head into a spiral shape and leaned as far back as he could.
But Yeongwoo simply matched the distance with another step forward, rendering the effort useless.
"I’m not going to hit you. It’s our first meeting, so I just wanted to shake hands."
-...Shake hands?
As Aldo echoed his words, Yeongwoo extended his right hand.
“Just take my hand with your right one. On Earth, this gesture means ‘Let’s not fight and get along.’”
-Ah.
Although Aldo’s head was still tightly twisted, it seemed he wasn’t so alarmed as to refuse a handshake.
-That’s… a good gesture.
Eventually, Aldo extended his massive, armored hand and completely enveloped Yeongwoo’s hand, much like grabbing a handle.
Grip.
The size difference between their hands—easily more than double—made this inevitable.
"Pleasure to meet you, Prince Aldo."
As Yeongwoo gently shook their clasped hands, Aldo’s twisted head started to unwind slightly.
-Then… may I call you Mr. Yeongwoo?
"Of course."
Yeongwoo replied cheerfully, then withdrew his hand from Aldo’s grip.
And then—
‘Why are there so many benches? Are there really that many royals in the universe?’
Truthfully, Yeongwoo wanted to sit on a bench too.
Though he didn’t have royal blood in his veins, the Authencity he was wearing carried the insignia of the Vesedel royal family.
【Vesedel Royal Family’s Protection】
This armor substitutes for a royal insignia.
‘Damn it, if I have a royal insignia, I’m basically royalty.’
Even so, Yeongwoo opted for a chair instead of the bench.
He figured it was wiser to observe how things unfolded before making a move.
‘I still don’t fully understand why I’m here. Let’s hear the rules before deciding anything.’
It was around then that the third participant finally appeared.
Whoosh!
Emerging from the same dark void as Yeongwoo was a golem with a body made entirely of rock.
-Oh.
With a voice as heavy as his appearance, the third participant alternated his gaze between Yeongwoo and Aldo.
Then he cautiously stepped back, surveying his surroundings.
‘Looks like he’s a cautious one too.’
As Yeongwoo studied the third participant with interest, the system displayed the same instructions as before.
「This is the waiting room. To prevent any incidents, all participants are asked to take a seat.」
Incidents—probably referring to fights between participants.
"Royals sit on benches, everyone else on chairs,"
Yeongwoo helpfully relayed the rules, prompting the golem to silently plant himself on a nearby chair.
-Why bother distinguishing seats for royalty?
The golem glanced back and forth between his chair and the benches, visibly displeased.
Representing his planet here, he felt slighted by the preferential treatment.
And then—
Whoosh!
The void opened once more, ejecting the fourth participant.
Boom!
With a heavy thud, the new arrival landed.
‘…Huh?’
It was an owlbear, straight out of a game—a massive bear with the head of an owl.
What stood out were the numerous tattoos covering its entire body.
Yeongwoo speculated they were likely substitutes for equipment.
‘There’s no way they’d walk around without even pants unless there’s a reason for it.’
The only items the newcomer carried were several bracelets on their wrists and a large hammer in one hand.
The two long, colorful feathers extending from where ears would typically be likely indicated…
-Greetings, everyone. I am Amana, guardian of the sacred planet Sutral.
‘…That’s a gender marker.’
The moment Amana spoke, Yeongwoo realized she was female.
Her voice wasn’t necessarily higher-pitched like a human’s, but something animalistic about it made her gender unmistakable.
Those vibrant feathers were the equivalent of sexual dimorphism in Earth’s animals.
Once again, the seating instructions were broadcast.
「This is the waiting room. To prevent any incidents, all participants are asked to take a seat.」
-Seat?
With movements exuding dignity, Amana surveyed her surroundings.
Upon hearing the instructions, she furrowed her brows—well, the space between her beak.
「Royalty, please sit on the bench. Other participants, please use the chairs.」
-Ridiculous.
Amana was clearly not royalty either.
-Why create seating disparities? Isn’t this the real cause of conflict?
She directed her sharp words at the empty air, then cast her large shadow over a chair in the corner.
Whatever the system’s logic, she saw no point in defying it, especially since others were already complying.
Boom!
Amana sat down with her head and beak held high, when suddenly a white sphere descended from somewhere high above, beyond sight.
Swoosh…
Approximately five meters in diameter, the sphere descended to a level where everyone in the room could see it clearly before speaking.
—Greetings, planetary examination candidates!
"Huh? It talks?"
-What?
-…?
-Was that… the sphere?
Yeongwoo and the others in the room looked on in astonishment. And then—
―I am the administrator of this space, Waiting Room 023. You can call me ‘Vito.’
When the mysterious sphere introduced itself as ‘Vito,’ the other waiting participants surprisingly all greeted it in unison.
-Ah, Mr. Vito.
-Pleased to meet you, Vito.
-Nice to meet you. So you’re our administrator.
The only one who felt a tinge of unease in the situation was Yeongwoo.
‘What the… are these guys idiots?’
Sure, being polite is fine and all, but this seemed a bit over the top.
Meanwhile, Vito continued speaking.
―Those of you gathered in Waiting Room 023 will now form a team and be deployed to the Promotion Hall.
-The Promotion Hall…?
-What’s that?
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As expected, the term Promotion Hall sparked reactions from the participants, and Vito was quick to provide an explanation.
―An important factor in planetary promotion is the abilities of the representative who applies for the promotion.
―Thus, representatives from planets that have passed the first screening undergo further evaluation in the Promotion Hall. Planets that pass this second screening earn additional opportunities for promotion.
Additional opportunities for promotion.
In other words, the planet’s rank could increase further.
‘Crazy. So that means Earth passed the first screening.’
And the same applied to the other planets represented here.
“What exactly will be evaluated in the Promotion Hall?”
Yeongwoo asked, raising his hand.
Everyone else in the room turned to look at him, and Vito answered.
―The Promotion Hall assess a representative’s judgment, combat skills, diplomacy, and other abilities essential for planetary management.
At that moment, Vito extended a large map from the lower part of its sphere-like body.
Fwoosh!
―A total of 50 teams will compete in the Promotion Hall, showcasing their skills as planetary representatives. Only the top five teams in terms of score will qualify for additional promotion opportunities.
‘Oh, my god.’
Fifty teams.
Since there were four people in Waiting Room 023, this meant a total of 200 participants, many of them likely aliens, would be thrown into some chaotic situation.
‘Five out of 50 teams… They’re saying we have to make it into the top 10%.’
How would they determine these scores, though?
Vito displayed a guide to clarify.
―The second screening will last six hours. During this time, your goal is to earn as many points as possible through activities within the Promotion Hall.
Activities within the Promotion Hall.
Yeongwoo was starting to piece it together.
The “world map” now floating in mid-air was dotted with icons resembling monsters, along with shields and shop symbols.
‘Basically, they’re saying all 50 teams will drop into this place and have a battle royale.’
Most likely, points could be earned by taking down other participants, monsters, or completing certain objectives.
‘This is going to be a mess.’
Even with 200 humans, such a setting would be chaotic, let alone representatives from various planets.
The scenario was hard for him to imagine.
―This is Waiting Room 023, so your team will also be designated as ‘Team 023.’
Vito calmly explained the team name.
Then it revealed a peculiar detail about this team.
―For this screening, teams have been assigned based on their Karma Scores.
-What?
-Karma Scores?
-What exactly does that mean?
―The average Karma Score of all teams entering the Promotion Hall is set to zero.
“What?”
Yeongwoo blurted out in shock, immediately understanding what this meant.
The strange behavior of the other members when Vito first appeared.
The overly passive and virtuous impression of the caramel-colored knight, Aldo, who seemed almost unnaturally kind.
‘No way. Don’t tell me…’
Yeongwoo glanced at his three teammates one by one.
Their faces revealed no trace of malice, inner darkness, or inferiority.
‘Don’t tell me… am I the only piece of trash here?’
Yeongwoo frantically searched his belongings for a Karma Meter, but it was nowhere to be found.
Of course, it was likely still back in Gwangjin-gu, braving lightning storms in the hands of the Golden Goblin.
‘What’s my Karma Score right now?’
Just as he was asking himself that, Vito spoke again.
―However… there is something noteworthy about Team 023 that I must inform you of in advance.”
-What is it?
-Is it something problematic?
-As long as it doesn’t put us at a disadvantage during the screening, it doesn’t matter.
The other three members, excluding Yeongwoo, were curious about what this “noteworthy” aspect was, and Vito cautiously continued.
―While all teams have been assigned randomly to ensure an average Karma Score of zero…
‘Ah.’
Yeongwoo shut his eyes tightly, already guessing what would come next.
And then.
―Team 023 has an unusually high variance in Karma Scores due to one participant with an exceptionally high negative score.
―We’re notifying you in advance so you can coordinate and avoid issues in the Promotion Hall.
Coordinate and avoid issues… It was likely advice on how to adapt to the differing methods needed to solve problems when dealing with someone with such a high negative Karma Score.
-How big is the variance?
-The average is still zero, right?
-Who’s the one with such a high negative score? How high is it?
All three, confident it wasn’t them, bombarded Vito with questions.
In response, Vito silently turned to face Yeongwoo.
―…….
“…?”
Or at least, Yeongwoo felt as though the featureless sphere, Vito, was staring right at him.
Finally, Vito announced its decision.
―I will disclose the details.”
―The highest negative Karma Score in Team 023 is…
Gulp.
Yeongwoo audibly swallowed.
And then, Vito revealed the astronomical figure.
―One hundred million.
-One hundred million?
-Are you saying 100 million?
―Seventy six million.
-What?
-…Huh?
―Among Team 023, one participant possesses a Karma Score of approximately negative 176 million. As a result, the other three members were automatically assigned due to their overwhelmingly high positive Karma Scores.
At this, the three alien teammates gasped, covering their mouths in disbelief.
Even Aldo, the second prince of the Shelbir royal family, began sweating profusely.
-Th-that’s almost 200 million.
-That’s insane. How does someone even get a negative score in the hundreds of millions?
-176 million is practically 200 million…
Unable to take it anymore, Yeongwoo shot to his feet and screamed.
Fweeeeeek!
“You idiots! Since when is 176 million the same as 200 million?!”
[TL/N: Knew this guy would fuck up somewhere. 💀]
[PR/N: Backbencher class clown with teacher’s pets.]
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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