Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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Chapter 371: Cold But Warm (1)

"The universe? Is there an achievement tied to the universe?"

Yeongwoo widened his eyes in surprise.

[Achievement Unlocked: Cold but Warm]

| Achievement Grade: Universe

| Achievement Rank: #841

「Created over 10 million points of goodwill while possessing over 200 million points of evil karma.」

It was the first time since the reset that Yeongwoo had ever seen the "Universe" achievement tier.

‘I’ve finally reached the universe itself...!’

Indeed, there was no other way to interpret it.

The fact that the rank of this achievement was measured on a universal scale was proof enough.

Yeongwoo07’s actions and accomplishments were no longer just planetary; they had now transcended to be evaluated on a cosmic level.

‘Rank #841... That means there are 840 others ahead of me who have unlocked this achievement?’

At first glance, that seemed like a lot.

But upon closer thought, it wasn’t so at all.

The universe.

This was an achievement that spanned the entirety of the universe, no less.

‘Wait, hang on. Does that mean only 840 people in this entire universe have managed to generate over 10 million points of good karma while holding over 200 million points of evil karma?’

That implied that those with evil karma in the hundreds of millions were largely irredeemable scum.

‘So, I was right, wasn't I...?’

Yeongwoo shot Aldo a glance that screamed, ‘See, I told you so!’

But he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud.

While it was true that most of the heavily sinful were indeed evil, this achievement also indicated that there were 840 others who were "Cold but Warm."

Aldo saw their existence as proof enough of what he had been saying.

Virtuous individuals, after all, were rare beings.

And now, even Yeongwoo, inadvertently, had his name added to the list of those rare individuals in the universe.

‘Still, the existence of this achievement is amusing. Couldn’t they just create an ‘Ultimate Evil’ achievement for us sinners instead?’

A strange feeling washed over him.

Could this really be the "balance of the universe" that Aldo had been talking about?

Regardless, the very existence of such an achievement suggested that the universe encouraged "Cold but Warm" actions.

In other words, reforming oneself.

‘Then... is there a next-tier achievement? Usually, these things are part of a series, right?’

Perhaps there were other tiers, such as having 40 million points of good karma with 200 million points of evil karma or 50 million points of good karma with 500 million points of evil karma.

If there were, Yeongwoo was willing to force himself to accumulate more evil karma or good karma to reach them.

‘You never know.’

With a glimmer of unreasonable hope, Yeongwoo opened the achievement window.

To his surprise, there was indeed a new entry added.

[Burning Ice]

| Ensure that your total points of evil karma do not exceed twice your points of good karma.

"What...?"

Yeongwoo's eyes grew wide in disbelief.

It really existed—a sequel to the so-called "Reform Achievement."

‘What does this even mean? ‘Ensure that your total points of evil karma do not exceed twice your points of good karma’...?’

He blinked rapidly.

In simple terms, it meant he had to decrease his evil karma accumulation and increase his good karma points.

With his current evil karma points at 200 million, achieving the "Burning Ice" achievement would require at least 100 million good karma points.

If his evil karma points continued to grow, completing "Burning Ice" would become forever impossible.

‘And they don’t even show me exactly how many good karma points I currently have?’

This was undoubtedly intentional.

Unlike previous achievements, which provided a clear progress indicator, this one offered no such convenience.

In other words, it was telling him to stop overthinking and commit to pure, uncalculating acts of good karma.

‘What do they take me for? Do they think I’m the kind of pushover who’d suddenly start being nice just because they told me to?’

Yeongwoo silently fumed, but his anger didn’t last long.

[You have unclaimed achievement rewards.]

A flashing notification at the bottom of the achievement window caught his eye.

‘Hmm. Well, I should at least check the reward.’

What would the universe grant as a reward for performing such a "Cold but Warm" deed in this desolate cosmos?

Ting!

When Yeongwoo claimed the reward, a brilliant light flickered before his eyes, revealing the tooltip for a new piece of equipment.

「Precious Heart」 - Legendary Necklace

【The higher your ratio of good karma points, the greater your damage reduction—ranging from a minimum of 10% to a maximum of 30%.】

"What the..."

As expected of an item with absurd acquisition conditions, its effects were just as outrageous.

‘Damage reduction based on good karma point ratio?’

Even the minimum 10% reduction made the item worthwhile, but the maximum effect of 30% was unprecedented for defensive equipment.

‘A perfect fit for aspiring virtuous individuals. Instead of boosting attack power, it provides damage reduction based on good karma points…’

Yet, it was also incredibly useful for Yeongwoo, whose offensive capabilities were already top-notch.

‘Then what’s next? Will the next item make virtuous individuals invincible?’

Having seen the reward for this achievement, Yeongwoo couldn’t help but turn his gaze toward the next-tier achievement.

[Burning Ice]

| Ensure that your total points of evil karma do not exceed twice your points of good karma.

If he completed this achievement as well, wouldn’t it grant even better rewards than the current one?

Likely another defensive item.

And for Yeongwoo, who had no qualms about beating up even government officials, stocking up on defensive gear was a priority.

Ironically, however, obtaining such gear required...

‘…A massive amount of good karma points.’

For the violence-filled business ahead—

In other words, for future acts of sin, he first needed acts of good karma.

"..."

When Yeongwoo silently turned to the three virtuous individuals nearby, Aldo, who had been watching him, nervously asked:

-W-What’s wrong, Yeongwoo?

"Goodwill."

-...Pardon?

"I need to accumulate good karma. What kinds of virtuous acts can I perform in this Ascension Arena?"

-All of a sudden...?

Though puzzled, Aldo quickly straightened his expression.

After all, if this top-tier villain decided to do good, he couldn’t help but welcome the idea.

-That’s an excellent decision! There are plenty of ways to earn good karma!

He glanced at the world map floating above them.

-For example, simply persuading other challengers who come to challenge you to leave peacefully could count as a virtuous act.

"Really?"

-Yes! Normally, you’d have to duel them, but altering the outcome in a positive way should qualify as good karma in the system’s eyes.

"Oh, so the system determines what counts as good karma or evil karma?"

-Exactly! That’s my understanding!

"Huh… Then if I could convince the system itself, I could commit evil karma and still have it count as good karma."

When Yeongwoo muttered this to himself, Amana, who was standing nearby, looked utterly stunned.

-W-What did you just say…?

"Ah, just kidding. Just kidding."

With a wicked smile, Yeongwoo looked up at the world map.

The symbols for Squad 042 and Squad 029, who had been thoroughly humiliated earlier, were retreating as far away as possible from the central region.

Meanwhile, the second-ranked Squad 004 was rapidly approaching.

The other squads were also heading toward the central region, albeit cautiously judging by their slow-moving markers.

Among them were groups who likely approached with peaceful intentions, as the virtuous individuals had suggested.

‘So, should I start by greeting Squad 004?’

Yeongwoo scratched his chin.

At that moment, a marker for Team 004 on the world map moved rapidly toward their location.

Finally, they had decided to make their move.

“Everyone, be careful. The strongest ones in this promotion field are coming,”

Yeongwoo said, raising his guard with the Aratubank.

Without a word, Amana and the other three aliens hid behind Yeongwoo’s Aratubank.

-Team 004… could it be…?

“Yes, second overall. Besides us, they’re the only ones in the promotion field ranked high in both score and power.”

From a different perspective, if not for Team 023, Team 004 could have claimed the throne in this promotion battle.

That’s why Team 004 was coming—to verify whether Team 023 was truly as strong as the rumors suggested.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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‘These bastards have both power and luck. Of all times, they had to come when I’m forced into aliens work.’

Yeongwoo grimaced regretfully, wrinkling his nose.

At that moment, a sharp presence was felt from afar.

Swoosh!

“Attack!”

Boom!

A strong vibration struck the surface of the Aratubank.

Peeking out to inspect, Yeongwoo saw a purple arrow embedded in the surface dissolve into the air.

‘An elemental arrow?’

There was an archer on the other side wielding elemental abilities.

Soon, four silhouettes approached rapidly from the distance.

Unlike other teams before them, each figure was lean and agile.

“......!”

Yeongwoo instinctively realized these were true elites.

Of course.

‘Still, isn’t the King of Promotions me? This isn’t a prison. No matter how strong they are, it’s nothing I can’t handle.’

Meanwhile, Yeongwoo’s Karma Points, so high it could land him in prison, totalled an absurd 200 million.

‘Not all karmic sinners are created equal!’

As the distance closed to a reasonable range, Yeongwoo opened his guard.

Team 004, now within 10 meters, looked visibly surprised.

-Huh, this guy.

-What’s with his equipment?

As befitting their second-place ranking, they had an eye for gear.

They widened their eyes at Yeongwoo’s armor, weapon, and shield.

The one leading them, an obsidian-skinned ogre covered in tattoos, instinctively assumed a defensive stance the moment Yeongwoo opened his guard.

They could sense an overwhelming attack was imminent.

And indeed—

Wham!

Yeongwoo reversed his grip on Bastard and struck the ogre’s chest like lightning with the pommel of the sword.

Gak!

The ogre’s black mouth opened as pale fluids spilled out.

Behind him, a panther beastman unsheathed their claws and aimed for Yeongwoo’s neck.

Swoosh!

A sharp tearing sound filled the air.

But Golden Trail flew from behind Yeongwoo, intercepting and blocking the beastman’s attack with ease.

Clang!

-Wh-what is that? The sword’s moving on its own!

The beastman, now targeted by the golden streak, shouted a warning to their teammates.

But it was already too late.

The remaining two members were already being pummeled by Yeongwoo, who had stepped forward to greet them.

Thud!

「Rohm's Bottom」 - Legendary Swordsmanship

【Fight like a prisoner.】

Living up to his 200 million Karma Points, Yeongwoo wielded the techniques of prisoners and subdued Team 004 without even drawing Bastard.

Not only was his karma overwhelming, but his combat prowess was far beyond what representatives of lower-tier planets could handle.

-Y-Yeongwoo, sir…?

Aldo stumbled backward in shock at his teammate’s unbelievable performance.

Even Amana, who had been composed until now, gripped her weapon tightly, fluffing her feathers.

Meanwhile, Team 004, now sprawled on the ground, could barely comprehend what had just happened.

-Wh-what just happened?

-What do you think? We lost, ridiculously fast.

-Didn’t that guy not even use his sword?

In disbelief, they realized their entire team had been defeated in about ten seconds.

The ogre, who had fought Yeongwoo first, raised his head and stammered.

-W-who are you? This… this isn’t the level of a promotion candidate!

Yeongwoo drove Bastard Child near the ogre’s head and answered.

Thud!

“Me? If you must know, I’m from Earth’s…”

Before he could finish, another team appeared in the distance.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Another group had finally stepped into the Midwest.

[033]

The name tag above their heads read 033.

‘033? Fifth in power, wasn’t it?’

Yeongwoo’s memory was unmatched.

He recalled seeing 033 at the bottom of the power ranking list earlier.

Waving his hand, he shouted toward them.

“Are you here to challenge for first place? Or just for a handshake?”

Team 033, seeing the defeated members of Team 004 sprawled around Yeongwoo, began retreating.

Clearly, they realized they’d made the wrong decision.

Yeongwoo frantically waved both hands and shouted again.

“Wait, wait! Gentlemen! We sell handshakes here!”

Selling handshakes.

At Yeongwoo’s sudden and bizarre declaration, both the fallen Team 004 and his own teammates tilted their heads in confusion.

-Yeongwoo, sir?

-Selling handshakes? What’s that supposed to mean?

-That’s not part of our rules.

Yeongwoo turned to the aliens and grinned.

“There’s no rule saying we can’t sell handshakes.”

-Huh…?

-Well, technically…

Yeongwoo turned back to Team 033 and shouted once more.

“Handshakes! Team 004, 30 million! Team 023, 50 million!”

The ogre from Team 004, lying on the ground, suddenly seemed to realize something, his mouth agape.

-Wait, no! Don’t come here! If you do…

But before he could finish, Yeongwoo’s foot pressed down on his head.

Thud!

“You punk, you want to die here? Quit your nonsense and get ready to sell handshakes. Sell enough, and you might even make it into the top five.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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