Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

w

Chapter 336: Becoming Each Other's Shadow (1)

"……."

All the Strongest Swords fell silent.

They were simply at a loss.

They couldn't bring themselves to strip naked on Tsushima Island, but at the same time, they couldn't dare to say on national television, "I won't strip."

"Whatever we choose, it’s going to be humiliating anyway…."

Finally, when someone muttered this under their breath, Yeongwoo, who somehow overheard it, stepped forward and countered before the Strongest Swords.

"Yes, that's correct. There’s no option that isn’t disgraceful for you."

"……!"

"Then wouldn’t it be better to at least make some money out of it if you’re going to suffer humiliation anyway? Standing over there will only leave you branded as a coward!"

Swish!

Yeongwoo pointed to a still empty space.

According to him, it was the spot where "those who would not act in the national interest" would gather.

"Now, you have 6 seconds left. If you’re afraid to strip, please move over there and prepare a coward’s statement."

At Yeongwoo’s merciless words, Lee Hanwook, the Strongest Sword of Dongjak District, responded with a solemn expression.

"This is… violence."

Immediately, Yeongwoo pressed Lee Hanwook by showing his naked body.

"Hey, you punk! Isn’t what you’re doing violence against the nation and its people? What do you think people will say when they see you, refusing to strip off a mere piece of clothing, sacrificing national interest?"

"Th-that’s…."

"And the opponent is Japan."

"……!"

Japan.

At the mention of this contentious name, Lee Hanwook clammed up, and at this point, Yeongwoo turned on the broadcast screen.

Flash!

"The military funding for this war was originally supposed to go to Japan. But thanks to my victory in the negotiation game, that right has been transferred to us."

Yeongwoo, glaring at Lee Hanwook, pointed his finger towards the direction of Japan.

Then, Oh Yeonhee asked a question.

"So we have to strip in front of the Japanese?"

As Yeongwoo had mentioned earlier, the Korean public wouldn’t see the Strongest Swords naked, but the Japanese opponents would.

Yeongwoo nodded in agreement.

"Of course. But the Japanese will also be fighting naked."

"…This is absurd."

Oh Yeo-hee looked as if she might collapse at any moment.

The expressions of the other Strongest Swords standing in line behind her weren’t much different.

"So, both sides will be fighting this war naked?"

This time, it was Choi Nahmee, the Strongest Sword of Seocho District.

With questions disguised as objections flying in from all directions, Yeongwoo was practically fighting a one-against-many battle, but at least on the broadcast screen, Yeongwoo seemed to be the one dominating the room.

Every time he moved or spoke, all the Strongest Swords flinched.

"If you kill all your opponents, that’s it, right? There won’t be any witnesses left. So make your decision now. The broadcast has already started."

As Yeongwoo pointed to the sky screen, all the Strongest Swords looked up in shock.

On the massive screen filling the sky, their faces were clearly visible.

Yeongwoo's naked figure, being the only one without clothes, stood out prominently.

"Because all of you arrived late, it would be appropriate for you to strip without complaint, but I still want to leave it to your free will."

Then, Yeongwoo pointed to the spot designated for cowards.

"With a war ahead to secure military funds, if your heart isn't burning with patriotism, go stand over there."

A few people instinctively took a step, but in the end, no one moved to change their spot.

No one had the courage to be the first coward.

"Very well."

As Yeongwoo's tone became calm again, Jo Sangik, who had earlier noticed ominous signs, looked dismayed.

In the end, that devil had succeeded in stripping all the Strongest Swords of Seoul.

"We will participate in the Tsushima Island War at 7 PM today in a naked state!"

Yeongwoo announced the war against the Lemu side while looking at the broadcast screen.

He then added a comment, possibly directed at the people watching the screen across Seoul.

"Half of the proceeds from this war will be used for the development of Metal Seoul and the Korean Peninsula!"

Hearing this, one of the Strongest Swords muttered quietly.

"Then, where will the other half go……?"

* * *

6:47 PM.

With about 13 minutes left until the promised Tsushima Island War.

Yeongwoo had already arrived at the upper floors of the ‘Tower’ set up on Tsushima Island with the stiff-looking Strongest Swords.

"This is Tsushima Island."

Yeongwoo stated an obvious fact.

Then, he emphasized another well-known fact.

"It’s time to strip."

Finally, the Strongest Swords, who had only been making gloomy expressions, spoke up.

"Right now? Why……?"

"Isn’t there still quite a bit of time left?"

"Do we have to strip this early?"

All the Strongest Swords wanted was to minimize the time spent naked, even by a second.

But Yeongwoo had his reasons.

"If you go down there to strip, it would mean piling your gear in the middle of the battlefield… Does that make any sense?"

On the other hand, this ‘Station’ was a place where only those with Yeongwoo’s approval could enter.

It was the perfect place to use as a changing room.

"And if you leave your gear on Tsushima Island, who knows if one of you might change your mind during the fight and pick up your clothes."

"……."

This was Yeongwoo’s real intention.

"So let’s strip safely here."

As Yeongwoo brandished his sword menacingly in the air, the faces of the Strongest Swords twisted with despair.

They had prepared themselves to some extent, but when it came time to strip together in one place, it was beyond mortifying.

"Hurry up and strip. We don’t have time."

As Yeongwoo waved his sword in the air, urging them, Choi Nahmee, the Strongest Sword of Seocho District, hesitated as she touched her top.

"Why don’t we have time? We still have at least 10 minutes, don’t we?"

Yeongwoo scratched his chin with an awkward smile.

"We need to go down and secure our combat positions, and more importantly…."

“…More importantly?"

"You need to greet your comrades."

"What?"

"What?!"

"Comrades? What do you mean?"

"Is there something else?"

All of a sudden, the Strongest Swords in the room widened their eyes in shock.

Seizing the moment, Yeongwoo quickly held his weapon, Bastard, up to Choi Namhee's neck.

"That's enough. You first. Strip."

"You... You crazy bastard, was this another lie?"

Choi Namhee's face looked as if his world had crumbled.

Unfazed, Yeongwoo responded with a shameless smirk.

"A lie? I just didn’t mention it."

Then he pressed the tip of Bastard closer.

Swoosh.

"Down there, in Tsushima, a massive army of red orcs is waiting for us."

"What did you say?"

"Yeongwoo! What are you talking about?"

"The orcs are here?"

This unexpected shock tactic left the Strongest Swords reeling, unable to regain their composure.

"The silver lining is that the orcs are our allies."

At this, Gwanak’s Strongest Sword, Jo Sangik, pointed out a very important detail.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

w

"Yeongwoo, does this mean... they are also naked?"

"I'm sorry."

"Oh...!"

Jo Sangik was left speechless, merely opening and closing his mouth in disbelief.

Every person in the top floor of the tower was within Yeongwoo’s striking range.

"Try not to think of it too badly. When else in your life would you get to fight a naked war? And with over seventeen thousand orcs, no less."

"......!"

Shock upon shock.

"W-Why... Why is this happening?"

Jo Sangik looked at Yeongwoo with a face full of dread, as if staring into the face of pure horror.

At that moment, a system message appeared before everyone.

「In 10 minutes, the business addresses of the companies bidding for planetary development rights will be disclosed.」

"We only have 10 minutes left. Let’s all strip. What happens here stays between us."

Dongdaemun's Strongest Sword, Jang Jeongho, muttered with a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.

"Damn it, what do you mean between us? You said there are seventeen thousand orcs down there."

But surprisingly, Jang Jeongho’s pants were already falling to the ground.

Whoosh!

Yeongwoo had swiftly flicked Bastard, snapping off Jang Jeongho’s pants button in an instant.

"Huh?"

"Gasp!"

"W-What just happened?"

As Seoul’s Strongest Swords faced off against domestic mutants, Yeongwoo’s martial skills, honed beyond foreign lands and even alien worlds, had reached a near-supernatural level.

He could undress an opponent without leaving a single scratch.

"For those of you still hesitant to take off your clothes, I’m happy to assist."

With a resigned sigh, Jo Sangik began undressing quickly.

This marked the point at which every Strongest Sword in the room began to strip.

‘This is true unity.’

Watching the Strongest Swords strip swiftly, Yeongwoo smiled in satisfaction.

As soon as the last one was naked, he activated the descent mechanism.

Boom!

The descent mechanism activated, enveloping the room in a bright, white light.

And in an instant—

Flash!

Yeongwoo aimed to transport all the Strongest Swords of Seoul to the center of Tsushima.

If the system hadn’t intervened.

「The predicted destination is currently restricted.」

‘...What?’

「Destination changed automatically.」

With a final notification, Yeongwoo and the Strongest Swords stood on a field about 100 meters away from the tower.

Flash!

"What just happened?"

"Did we just teleport?"

The naked swordsmen, realizing something had gone wrong with the teleportation, looked around in surprise.

The situation equally took aback Yeongwoo.

"A restricted area? What the hell is going on..."

With a displeased look, Yeongwoo glared at the lower section of the tower, where he finally realized the problem.

"Ah, right over there."

The high-speed transit station of Tsushima had been installed at the island’s center, overlapping with the critical war zone where the "Capture Flag" was located.

Indeed, near the tower’s lower section, a translucent, circular barrier had been erected, with a white capture flag planted in the middle.

"It looks like we’re restricted from entering until the war officially begins. That’s the capture flag we need to seize."

Swoosh.

Yeongwoo pointed at the enormous flag with Bastard, and the Strongest Swords huddled behind him, covering their bodies with their weapons as best as they could.

"If we hold that flag for two hours, we’ll be declared the victors of the Tsushima War."

Upon hearing Yeongwoo explain the rules, the Strongest Swords were stunned.

"Two hours?"

"So we have to stay naked for the entire time?"

"That’s insane."

Yeongwoo grinned wickedly, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"There is, of course, one way to end the war faster."

"W-What is it?"

"To ensure no one even attempts to seize the flag, we could eliminate the enemy entirely before then."

As Yeongwoo pointed in the direction the Japanese troops were expected to arrive from, a trumpet sounded loudly from behind him.

Blareeeee!

Then, a gigantic shadow fell across Yeongwoo and his group.

"They’re here."

Sensing something massive approaching, Yeongwoo turned around.

A red tide filled his vision, as if a crimson wall was rushing toward him.

The naked orc army had come to Tsushima, keeping their promise.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

w