Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

w

Chapter 346: Affiliated Businesses (2)

Building a wedding hall through a prison construction company.

Wasn’t this the era of universal expansion?

So nothing was impossible.

Even intermediary Kubu had struggled to find a similar case before finally coming up with a solution after much thought.

“For Kubu’s sake… we have no choice.”

When Yeongwoo muttered this, Jiseon snapped at him.

—If you just gave up on the execution platform, you wouldn’t have to resort to this nonsense.

“But that’s the core of it. Besides, this is actually a good thing.”

—...What?

“When else would I get to meet a prison construction company?”

—……

This guy, his mindset is just different, Jiseon thought to herself.

—Why a prison? Don’t tell me you’re planning on ending up there someday?

“You never know what the future holds.”

As Yeongwoo said this, someone appeared from within a rusty, crashed spaceship in the distance.

“Are those the contractors?”

As Yeongwoo asked this and pointed, three massive figures, seemingly draped in black raincoats, were walking toward them.

They stood about four meters tall.

Though their thick limbs were faintly visible through their cloaks, they were bipedal with only two arms, making them not entirely alien.

Compared to the planetary inspectors they had encountered before, these figures were almost familiar in appearance.

All three wore metallic masks with multiple small holes, which made Yeongwoo wonder for a moment if they were of the same species as the cloaked inspectors.

—Yes, those are the prison contractors, Hammer of Quaya.

Hammer of Quaya… The name felt oddly familiar, and Yeongwoo tilted his head until he remembered.

It was from the hazardous contractor list he’d seen when selecting planetary development companies.

[Hazardous Contractor List]

A ranking of companies unsuitable for planetary development.

Dogo

Hammer of Quaya

Toma

Hexagon

Cerium

“Ah…! Quaya!”

Yeongwoo exclaimed as he finally recalled their background, and Jiseon, resting her hand on her greatsword, asked,

—What? Who are they?

“They’re Hammer of Quaya, ranked second as the most unsuitable for planetary development!”

—What?

Jiseon turned her head to look at the approaching contractors, now only a few dozen meters away.

She muttered in a low voice, just loud enough for Yeongwoo to hear,

—They build prisons, of course they’re unsuitable for planetary development…

Then, as if another thought crossed her mind, she asked Yeongwoo,

—Wait, a prison construction company is ranked second? Who’s ranked first, then?

Yeongwoo glanced up at the sky and replied,

“Our Chairman.”

—What the hell.

Jiseon instinctively looked up at the sky.

This crazy son of a gun had summoned the first and second most dangerous contractors from the blacklist.

—Do you think you can handle this?

“Considering that the number one contractor is my sponsor, how could it get any riskier?”

—Hah.

Jiseon let out a hollow laugh as Hammer of Quaya came within ten meters.

Thud.

Their footsteps carried a tremendous weight.

It was at this moment that they realized what they thought were raincoats were actually something closer to enormous wings.

‘What… what are these guys?’

A creeping unease began to rise in Yeongwoo, making him swallow nervously.

The mortality rate in intergalactic prisons was said to be 84%.

Would the prisons these people built be just as deadly?

Thud!

As the contractors took another step closer, they alternated glances between Yeongwoo and Jiseon before slightly nodding.

-Who is the boss here?

Despite their bizarre appearance, their greeting was so familiar it could have come from an Earthling.

Jiseon pointed at her son with her greatsword and replied,

—This guy is the boss.

The three contractors simultaneously turned to stare at Yeongwoo.

-Ah, Boss. It’s an honor to meet you.

“Ah, yes.”

-We are servants of the Master of Abyss, Quaya.

The Master of Abyss, Quaya.

Yet another extraordinary figure to encounter.

“I’m Jeong Yeongwoo-07, Mayor of Metal Seoul, Dogo Special City.”

As Yeongwoo introduced himself, the contractors briefly stirred before bowing slightly and cautiously asking,

-By any chance, are you from that Dogo?

Before Yeongwoo could answer, the wedge emblem of Dogo lit up on the upper arm of his Vesedel armor.

Fwoosh!

-Ah.

The contractors’ reaction seemed anything but pleased, and the reason quickly became clear.

-In that case, we’ll only charge half the contract fee.

“What?”

Yeongwoo, who rarely made concessions when it came to money, couldn’t hide his surprise.

What kind of crazy company would voluntarily cut their fee in half?

“Do you have some kind of brotherly bond with our Chairman?”

Yeongwoo threw out the most plausible explanation, but the contractors subtly shook their heads.

-Dogo affiliates are provided services at cost.

Their answer was cryptic, loaded with implications.

‘Did these guys get beaten by the Chairman in the past or something?’

If it wasn’t brotherhood, then that seemed like the next most likely explanation.

“So… is Hammer of Quaya essentially a company run by the Master of Abyss?”

-No, we are more like a subsidiary.

“Oh, I see.”

To think that a prison construction company was a mere subsidiary… Just what kind of entity was this Quaya?

‘But considering their favorable attitude toward the Chairman, there must be some kind of connection between them...’

As Yeongwoo scratched his chin in thought, the contractors spoke again, as if to cut off his speculation.

-We’d like to greet the boss properly. Could you teach us the customary greeting on this planet?

Yeongwoo paused for a moment before extending his right hand.

"How about a handshake?"

He suggested, curious about the inside of the other’s massive, cloak-like wings.

"If you have a right hand, just extend it empty-handed and clasp it with mine."

-Very well. Then I’ll do it on behalf of us.

At Yeongwoo’s suggestion, the figure in the middle of the three merchants stepped forward, slightly parting the overlapping wings that covered their entire body.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

w

Creak.

A sound reminiscent of leather seats rubbing against each other echoed out, and from within—

"…!"

A large arm made entirely of jet-black bones stretched out.

‘What the heck, are these guys Death Knights or something?’

Yeongwoo’s pupils dilated as he grasped the massive hand of his counterpart.

Crunch.

"Excuse me… What should I call you?"

Yeongwoo asked, running his hand over the skeletal arm.

The merchant replied,

-We dare not possess names.

"Still, I need something convenient to call you. How about I assign you a temporary name for the duration of our dealings?"

-That’s… unheard of…

"How about Kobu?"

-…?

Kobu’s flustered reaction was evident, even from behind the mask.

Yeongwoo’s chosen name was simply a reversal of the first syllable of Kubu, the mediator’s title.

—Hey, you jerk! That’s seriously rude…!

Unable to hold back, Jiseon let out a small scream and muttered, but what could be done?

The words had already been spoken.

“Why? It’s better than Mr. Contractor. Mr. Kobu, and Mr. Tobu, and Mr. Chobu. Welcome to Earth.”

Yeongwoo smiled brightly as he shook the hand of the person in front of him.

The representative of Quaya's Hammer, Kobu, glanced at his colleagues on either side.

Then.

-Pleased to meet you.

Following Yeongwoo’s lead, Kobu shook his own arm.

“Great. Then please, this way first.”

After the introductions were complete, Yeongwoo began walking toward the “tower” visible in the Gwangjin District, and Kobu, Tobu, and Chobu followed in line.

“That’s the entrance the general guests, meaning those native to this planet, will use.”

Yeongwoo pointed to the lower section of a high-speed transit station as he spoke.

Hearing this, Kobu paused briefly and asked:

-Guests…?

“Yes, guests.”

-We came to install an execution platform. Therefore, those to be hung on the platform should be prisoners or captives.

“Ah.”

Finally realizing there was something more important than a handshake, Yeongwoo glanced back into the air behind him, but Kubu had already disappeared.

“This jerk…”

But the business had already begun.

Calming himself, Yeongwoo spoke as if he were carefully explaining Korean to a foreigner, adding gestures for clarity.

“I.”

Thump.

Yeongwoo pointed at his own chest.

Then, vaguely gesturing toward a spot in the air, he continued.

“Plan to hang the guests. On the execution platform.”

He even mimed slashing his neck with his hand, which finally made Kobu understand.

-What are the guests for?

“They’re here to witness a wedding cere… no, a union ceremony.”

-…?

Kobu said nothing further but looked around at the devastated Gwangjin District.

-Surely this isn’t the ceremony venue?

“Yes. And you’re here to build that venue.”

-…Ah.

A sigh heavy with dismay escaped from Kobu.

“You can do it, right? As long as the venue meets certain requirements, the family court will approve it. It’s not illegal, so if it’s done properly, it’s actually possible, isn’t it?”

Yeongwoo spoke as if this was knowledge he’d had all along, though he’d only learned it a few minutes ago.

Kobu quietly withdrew the hand he had extended for a handshake earlier.

-We cannot build elegant structures.

“Then build it like a prison.”

Yeongwoo gestured vaguely toward the entrance of the tower behind him.

“Once guests exit this tower, is there a way to ensure they don’t escape? A sturdy passage connecting the tower to the venue entrance seems necessary.”

-…It’s possible. Does this tower only accommodate general guests?

“Yes, but some might come carrying legendary weapons, so the passage should be unbreakable.”

-Not even a legend can destroy our prison.

“You’re the contractor I was looking for.”

Yeongwoo’s eyes gleamed with a hint of madness.

Whoosh!

This was when Yeongwoo threw a blade, embedding it in the ground about 50 meters from the tower entrance.

“That spot seems suitable for the venue entrance. Can you also add a function to adjust the height of the passage?”

-Additional costs could range from 50 million to 300 million karma.

“Then let’s add it.”

For Yeongwoo, this ceremony was the biggest business opportunity since the reset.

The congratulatory gifts alone, if well-extracted, could rake in hundreds of millions, or even billions.

Considering contributions from the “big players,” investing in the millions didn’t seem burdensome.

“The maximum height of general guests is about 2 meters. The ceiling height should drop to 1.5 meters before they enter so they can’t draw their swords recklessly.”

—What? Why go that far?

Jiseon let out a frustrated sigh at such a malicious design.

“Some guests might not get along. So before they reach the venue, we make them hunch over and walk straight ahead.”

Guests equaled money.

So, until they offered their gifts, it was best to ensure they stayed alive.

-Boss, what’s the range for non-general guests?

Kobu finally asked the most critical business question.

Non-general guests.

Those coming from beyond the stars were the real issue.

Their cosmic statuses varied, as did their heights, bodily compositions, and methods of visiting Earth.

As such, Yeongwoo, a mere Earthling, couldn’t even begin to predict their needs.

“Shouldn’t we design for the most dangerous guest? Chairman Dogo, Mara, and maybe even Lemu could show up.”

Counting on his fingers, Yeongwoo listed the non-general guests, and Kobu looked toward the sky.

-In that case, it’s impossible to build a passage for them.

“Why?”

-They will arrive in the manner they choose. However.

“However?”

-Under cosmic law, conflicts between beings of the same tier must be minimized. Therefore, separate arrival points for each…

“What? I was planning to start a gift battle between them…”

-What?

“You haven’t heard of the gift competition era?”

[PR/N: This dude is insane 💀]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

w