[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 727: The Great Path (5)
“What... this is a Signature?”
Trigger of Repentance.
Biased Malice.
And the suspiciously named Anti-Government Handgun.
Yeongwoo blinked as he carefully examined all three attributes.
Then, before long, he had no choice but to admit it.
“...The effects are good.”
Trigger of Repentance, in particular, had an effect that was almost impossible to replace.
Didn't it grant a small amount of Virtuous Karma every time he attacked an Evildoer?
On top of that, it greatly increased damage dealt against Evildoers.
'This is kind of insane. At this rate, no matter how much evil karma I accumulate, I can gradually restore the balance.'
And completing the Burning Ice achievement would become much easier as well.
[Burning Ice]
|Do not allow your total Evil Karma to exceed twice your current Virtuous Karma.
Of course, it wasn't without drawbacks.
The effect of gaining Virtuous Karma certainly provided a semi-permanent benefit, but in the short term, it wasn't particularly meaningful.
[Planetary Court] "Balanced Bonds"
Reunite with the following three beings. (2/3)
= Aldo, Second Prince of Doatel
= Amana, Guardian of the Sacred Sutral
–Taru, Pigot's Last Hope
|You must use a spacecraft owned by your affiliated family.
|Evil Karma adjustment guaranteed by the Planetary Court.
Once he found the golem Taru, wouldn't the Planetary Court reduce some of his Evil Karma?
So Trigger of Repentance was truly an option that had to be chosen with the distant future in mind.
On the other hand...
【Anti-Government Handgun】
|When attacking a government official with this firearm, all of the wielder's combat abilities increase by 15%.
'Anti-Government Handgun... The name's a little questionable, but the performance seems undeniable.'
If he shot a government official with this firearm, all of the wielder's combat abilities increased by 15%.
That certainly didn't refer only to attack power.
Not only major stats like Strength and Senses, but all kinds of resistances would undoubtedly be affected as well.
'That's probably why it comes with the condition of attacking government officials. Even so, the effect is ridiculously good.'
Government officials.
Exactly how far did that category extend?
There was no need to ponder that alone.
The heir of a prestigious family was standing right in front of him, and there were also two people from the Underground Layer.
“Exactly what falls under the category of a government official?”
At Yeongwoo's question, everyone present tilted their heads in unison.
-What are you talking about?
The first to respond was, unsurprisingly, Eroom Salzeo.
He had become curious about what this insane Planetary Shipmaster was thinking now.
Yeongwoo waved his hand.
“Never mind. I'll just give an example.”
Then he looked into the empty air and continued.
“The Space Police. They're all government officials, right?”
-Any police deployed on official duty are indeed government officials. Nearly everyone under the Central Government's authority or support is considered one.
Eroom added that even the independent police forces of autonomous galactic organizations were, strictly speaking, government officials.
“Oh, really? Then would even those independent police officers be affected by an attribute like 'increased damage against government officials'?”
-...?
Only now did Eroom finally flinch.
-Just what exactly appeared in your third slot?
“Just answer the question.”
-Well. I've never used such a deranged attribute before, so I can't be certain, but... I'd say they probably would be affected.
Then Eroom casually raised an index finger.
-However, there can be cases where the classification is ambiguous.
“For example?”
-There are mercenaries temporarily hired by the government. System-wise, those individuals wouldn't be classified as government officials. So while they carry out official duties, they probably wouldn't be affected by the effect you mentioned.
“So basically, temporary workers aren't government officials.”
-Government officials carry official identification even if they're temporary employees. So if someone carrying out official duties shows up with only a government-issued warrant instead of an ID card, there's a good chance they aren't actually a government official.
“So even non-permanent employees count as government officials as long as they were officially hired. That means the scope of government officials is broader than I expected.”
Having more or less understood, Yeongwoo asked one final question.
“Then is Kaujo a government official? They obviously are, right?”
Kaujo.
The strongest strike force of the Space Police Bureau, and an ultra-class bio-weapon used even to apprehend the Great Ones.
-....
The moment Kaujo was mentioned, the atmosphere instantly turned heavy.
Soon afterward, Sevio spoke with an uneasy expression.
-Seriously... Why are you even concerned about Kaujo?
“Well, if you stay on the Great Path long enough, you're bound to run into them eventually, aren't you?”
Yeongwoo had already met them once before.
During the Pahalufe prison break.
“It's the same logic as collecting Courtesy Reduction Rates. If there's a day when I'll have to fight Kaujo, then starting preparations now isn't too early.”
-Meeting Kaujo in the first place means you've become an unbelievably important figure.
“Perhaps I forgot to mention that becoming a cosmic big shot is my dream.”
At those words, the silent Eroom spoke again.
-Kaujo are unquestionably government officials. The worst kind, at that. Whether Virtuous or Evil, everyone fears encountering them.
“Then I guess I need to revise my dream a little. I'll become such a big shot that even Kaujo hesitate to arrest me.”
As that thought crossed his mind, the effect of Anti-Government Handgun suddenly took on an entirely different meaning.
“An attribute specialized in sniping government officials is practically another word for freedom.”
-...What?
“The freedom not to be arrested. Even if I end up in prison, the freedom to break myself out. The wardens of government-run prisons are government officials too, aren't they? In practical terms, the whole world is made up of government officials.”
-That's only true for villains who keep getting themselves thrown into prison. If you stay reasonably lawful, then there's absolutely no—
“Lawful? If I can beat every government official, there's no need to stay lawful in the first place. I wouldn't have to care what anyone thinks.”
And beyond even that...
“...I might even be able to free myself from the shackles of taxation.”
-You lunatic.
Eroom stared at him in disbelief.
But Yeongwoo was half... no, about eighty percent serious.
“Besides, what I'm looking at right now is an effect that increases all my combat abilities simply by shooting a government official with this gun.”
-...So?
“So it's not an effect that only makes me stronger against government officials. As long as there's even one government official mixed into the battlefield, the combat boost should remain active even while I'm fighting everyone else.”
Then Yeongwoo quietly muttered to himself.
“It'd be nice if I had a government official who could follow me around like a secretary and let me shoot them every so often.”
-...?
Somehow, Sevio happened to hear those words and immediately turned pale.
Meanwhile, Yeongwoo spoke with a resolute expression.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
“Anyway, I've made up my mind. It's a shame to give up the free ticket for committing evil, but I'll invest in the future—for the day Kaujo eventually come to arrest me.”
As Yeongwoo selected Anti-Government Handgun, the final stage of crafting his Projection Equipment finally began.
<Finally, the name of this firearm will now be determined.>
“Oh... So now it picks the name.”
As Yeongwoo murmured, Eroom slowly stretched his body.
He instinctively sensed it was almost time to leave.
-Have you thought of a name?
“I can name it myself? That's surprising. The equipment names I've seen so far have all been pretty respectable.”
Eroom shrugged.
-You can't choose the name outright. But you can choose from candidates. Just like when filling the slots.
“Ah.”
-Though there probably aren't many good names left.
“I suppose. Equipment has been crafted throughout the entire history of the universe. I don't need some grand name anyway. It's just a single handgun, right? The truly important name is mine.”
Let everyone come to know the meaning of your name.
Yeongwoo still carried those transcendent words deep in his heart.
“Alright, let's see what names an anti-government firearm gets.”
As Yeongwoo shifted his gaze toward the empty air, the crafting system displayed the candidate names for the new Legendary handgun.
Papapat!
[Swift Negotiation]
|Sometimes, a bullet can be faster than a blade.
[Cowardly Finger]
|Selecting this name will alter the firearm's appearance into the shape of a mechanical finger.
[Obstruction of Official Duties]
|The owner of this firearm will most likely refuse to comply with law enforcement.
“Three? Only three name candidates.”
Eroom twitched his nose.
-Three is actually quite a lot. Usually, it only gives two.
“This isn't easy.”
Even so, Yeongwoo narrowed the choices down to two.
Cowardly Finger and Obstruction of Official Duties.
'I really like Cowardly Finger's special function. It changes the weapon's appearance.'
On the other hand, the name that appealed to him purely by itself was Obstruction of Official Duties.
It fit the handgun's characteristics perfectly as well.
“Ah, this is unexpectedly difficult.”
-Just a moment ago you said a weapon's name didn't matter.
“I only like one of the names. But the other one has a special effect.”
-...What kind?
“It changes the weapon's appearance.”
At those words, Eroom pointed toward the seemingly empty air.
-Are all three names floating there simultaneously right now?
“Yeah.”
-Then try selecting the two you want at the same time. If I remember correctly, when your activation reaches one hundred percent, you can even combine the offered names. Whether their functions combine too, I don't know.
“...You're not messing with me, are you?”
-At this point, what reason would I have to do that?
Even if it was a prank, he wouldn't actually lose anything.
At last, Yeongwoo selected both Cowardly Finger and Obstruction of Official Duties.
A message that had never appeared before was displayed.
<Name selected multiple times. Would you like to choose again?>
Combine.
Exactly as Eroom had said.
'I'll combine them.'
As Yeongwoo confirmed the combination, only the two names he had selected remained in his vision.
Then they literally began merging together.
[Cowardly] [Obstruction of Official Duties] [Finger]
|Selecting this name will alter the firearm's appearance into the shape of a mechanical finger.
|The owner of this firearm will most likely refuse to comply with law enforcement.
'What...? It's literally just smashing everything together.'
If finalized like this, the handgun's name would become Cowardly Obstruction of Official Duties Finger.
Yeongwoo reached out and grabbed the word Finger, pushing it aside.
Fwaat.
Just as intended, it became Cowardly Obstruction of Official Duties.
But...
'Hmm... For a family weapon, that still feels like it has a bit too much unnecessary fluff in the name.'
In the end, Yeongwoo removed Cowardly as well before finalizing the name.
'Let's keep it clean. Obstruction of Official Duties it is.'
<Firearm Name — Obstruction of Official Duties>
Immediately afterward, a golden tooltip appeared in midair.
Fwaaaaa!
「Obstruction of Official Duties」 - Legendary Handgun
【Sharpshooter】
【Dangerous Hybrid】
【Anti-Government Handgun】
【Sharpshooter】
|A small, intelligent mechanical arm fires in your place.
【Dangerous Hybrid】
|Attack power increases by 30% for each damage attribute you possess.
【Anti-Government Handgun】
|When attacking a government official with this firearm, all of the wielder's combat abilities increase by 15%.
Next, a small, dull silver mechanical arm materialized behind Yeongwoo's right trapezius.
Pajijit!
At the end of the gently curved mechanical arm was a mechanical hand with only its thumb and index finger extended, imitating the shape of a handgun.
The sight was so utterly ridiculous that it looked like a joke in itself.
Whirrr.
The Legendary handgun, Obstruction of Official Duties, turned its muzzle on its own and slowly surveyed its surroundings.
Then it bent and straightened its thumb slightly, producing the sound of chambering a round.
Clack.
× No fear has been detected. From this moment onward, anyone who moves will be made an example—with a hole through them. I shoot people who aren't government officials too.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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