Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 386: The Dignity of a Wedding (2)

The Wedding Gift Refund Policy.

For Yeongwoo, it was an absolute nightmare.

After investing so much money into preparing for everything, was there really a chance they would have to refund the main source of revenue—the wedding gifts?

"Does that even make sense? What kind of wedding gift refund system is this?"

—It is an ancient tradition of cosmic weddings.

"Come on! Isn’t breaking tradition what makes things stylish? Can’t we change the entry rules?"

—Impossible. If you wish to avoid the ‘Wedding Gift Breakthrough,’ you must forgo receiving wedding gifts in the first place.

The Wedding Gift Breakthrough.

As Kobu had mentioned, it was an age-old tradition, and a corresponding term had long been established.

The act of the bride and groom transporting the wedding gifts while breaking through numerous threats from the guests was referred to as the Wedding Gift Breakthrough.

"This is completely insane."

Yeongwoo clutched his forehead.

Everything had been going too smoothly—it was suspicious.

Of course, the universe wasn’t such a lenient place.

‘And if even one of the bride or groom fails, the refund is immediate. If even one major guest changes their mind, everything will turn into a complete disaster.’

Yeongwoo’s mind raced.

Which major guests were attending today’s wedding?

The first one that came to mind was the Chairman.

But the Chairman was obsessed with honor—there was no way he would make a scene just to get his wedding gift refunded.

‘Then… next? Mara?’

Mara.

The so-called King of Ten Thousand Demons, a being who walked in the shadows of cosmic law.

If anyone would shamelessly and wholeheartedly attempt to obstruct the groom or bride, it would be him.

‘But Mara is a strong contender for first place. He’s a top-tier big spender who might go head-to-head with the Chairman in a wedding gift competition.’

And the guest ranked first in wedding gift contributions had the right to banish anyone below third place.

‘I just have to hope the Chairman takes first place. Then the Mara problem will solve itself…’

But was that the only issue?

Unfortunately, the guests Yeongwoo had invited included not just business moguls but also figures like Lemu, an adult film producer; Toma, a heavy weapons manufacturer; and Osik Credit, a loan shark company.

‘D-Dammit… This is karma, isn’t it?’

As Yeongwoo’s vision darkened, he clenched his eyes shut.

‘…How humiliating!’

Just then, someone approached him and firmly grabbed his shoulder.

Clank!

It was none other than his mother from the heavens, Song Jiseon.

—Why the hell are you closing your eyes? Get a grip, kid.

"Uh, Mother…"

—All you have to do is make sure the bride doesn’t drop the wedding gift box, right? You said the guests can’t actually injure us.

It was like playing rugby, but instead of a ball, they were carrying a wedding gift box.

"But in the universe… there's something called authority. If you're experiencing it for the first time, it might be overwhelming."

Authority.

It wasn’t too different from aura or presence.

Each entity accumulated a certain level of authority based on their history and achievements, and once it reached a certain level, merely releasing that authority could paralyze opponents.

Just as Yeongwoo had once used the Strongest Sword's authority to immobilize his enemies…

But that was merely a small-scale authority clash on Earth.

This wedding ceremony would be filled with cosmic-level authorities beyond imagination.

Worse yet…

‘If someone hears about the refund policy, they’d try their hardest to sabotage the ceremony—even I would.’

Some beings in the universe could kill with authority alone.

Of course, his mother was absurdly strong, so it was hard to imagine her being crushed by someone’s authority.

But if, by any chance, she dropped the wedding gift box, it would be a catastrophe.

"Are you sure you’ll be okay?"

—And what if I’m not? What’s the alternative? There isn’t one. Just focus on keeping your father in check.

Jiseon gestured toward Jeonggu, who looked absolutely terrified.

Yeongwoo sighed and nodded.

Just then, in the distance, the main structure of the wedding hall, which was still being assembled, completed its foundational construction, and its jet-black outer walls rapidly rose into place.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The hall was built from an unknown obsidian-like metal, resembling a fortress with a towering ceiling.

Perhaps an extraterrestrial prison would look similar from the outside.

—Since today’s guests are from various species, we made the ceiling as high as possible.

Kobu pointed to the very top of the hall before shifting his gaze to the execution platform in the main lobby.

—Near the entrance, we will install the wedding gift reception table and guestbook. Additionally, we have allocated ample space to prepare for any potential conflicts.

"Good. It’s always better to be prepared."

As Yeongwoo approved, Kobu looked toward the large open area behind the gift table.

—As I mentioned earlier, that area will serve as the landing site for guests' ships. Once disembarked, they will follow the guide lines into the lobby, submit their wedding gifts at the reception table, and then…

Creak.

Kobu stepped forward and pushed open the main entrance to the wedding hall.

With a deafening grinding sound, the dark, cavernous interior was revealed.

Rumble!

“…No way.”

—This… is our wedding venue?

Both Yeongwoo and Jiseon were stunned.

Despite being designed by prison architects, the hall’s interior resembled a cathedral.

The only issue?

Everything inside was black.

Rather than a wedding hall, it looked more like the lair of a demon king.

The 800-meter-long virgin road was constructed from polished, glossy black stone.

As Kobu stepped onto it, holographic text appeared, displaying the remaining distance.

Beep!

「799」

—Once the bride and groom begin their procession, the remaining distance will be updated in real-time.

“…This really feels like a sports competition.”

—At the end of the aisle is the ceremonial altar. Once the wedding gift box is placed there, the procession will be complete.

So, in short, the altar was like a touchdown zone.

"Wait, is that… the ranking board behind the altar?"

When Yeongwoo pointed to the massive iron plate floating alone behind the distant altar, Kobu nodded.

— Yes. Once the wedding gift payments are completed, the ranking of the contributions will be revealed there, and the emblem of the top gifter will be engraved on all decorations inside the venue.

An extravagant tradition.

Yeongwoo asked again.

"What about the second round of wedding gifts?"

— The second gift round for ranking rebounds will be replaced by the ceremonial altar.

"Huh?"

In other words, since the altar has no specific purpose until the main ceremony begins, they decided to use it as the second gift station.

— Wait, you're saying they’ll be collecting a second round of gifts at the very place where vows are exchanged? Does that even make sense?

Jiseon, unable to hold back any longer, cut in between Yeongwoo and Kobu, speaking irritably.

Yeongwoo blinked a few times before responding.

"I don't think it's a bad idea, actually."

— What?

"Our ceremonial gifts are just commemorative coins anyway… and, honestly, the guests who are passionate enough to participate in the second round of gifts are practically the real hosts of this event. Symbolically, it makes sense, right? Think of it as receiving lavish gifts from the guests."

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Besides, installing another donation station inside the main building would be an eyesore.

‘And there's something quite poetic about massive donations exchanging hands at the ceremonial altar.’

With that in mind, Yeongwoo found it easy to approve.

"Sounds like a good idea. Let's go with it."

— Then, the next matter…

Kobu waved his hand in the air, and suddenly, a steel throne that had been placed near the back of the ceremonial altar began to float into the air.

“…What? What is that?"

— It is the seat for the number one donor.

"Oh."

— The top seat never touches the ground, and its position and altitude can be freely adjusted.

Then, Kobu pointed to another seat positioned at the very front, providing a direct view of the ceremonial altar.

This seat, also made of luxurious steel, was impressive—but not on the same level as the floating throne.

— This is the seat for the third-place donor, who holds immunity from expulsion.

"So, this seat has the authority to oppose the will of the first place, yet it still remains on the ground."

— Yes. It cannot be moved at will, nor can it float.

"What about second place? Where is their seat?"

Yeongwoo looked around, searching for a special seat for the second-place donor, but Kobu shifted his gaze toward the regular guest seats.

— There is no special seat for second place.

"Huh? Why not?"

— That, too, is part of the tribute to the first-place donor.

"Ahhh…"

Yeongwoo was a beat late in grasping Kobu’s deeper intention, and his mouth slowly fell open.

In the fierce battle of wealth for the number one donation spot, the top two contenders inevitably became first and second place.

From the perspective of the first-place donor, the second-place donor had forced them into massive financial losses—there was no way they could harbor good feelings about it.

So Kobu’s solution was simple: don’t even acknowledge the second-place donor with a special seat in the ceremony hall.

‘You either go all out to secure first place, or you aim for third from the start.’

If someone dared to challenge for first place but lost in a cash showdown, they wouldn’t even get the privileges of third place—they’d be treated worse than an ordinary guest.

They’d spend a fortune and still have to sit among the general audience.

In reality, though, they would most likely just be expelled by the first-place donor and wouldn't even get to witness the ceremony.

‘This is going to be intense.’

Yeongwoo looked at the second donation station with an amused glint in his eyes.

Just then, Tobu and Chobu, who had been outside the main ceremony hall, entered the building.

Clank, clank.

— Kobu.

— Hm? What is it?

— We need to speed things up a bit.

— Why? Is there a problem with the construction?

Tobu and Chobu both shook their heads.

That meant there was no issue with the work itself.

— Then what is it?

Kobu, sounding slightly irritated, asked again.

Tobu raised a dark finger and pointed outside the venue.

— A few ships have already arrived. The guests are coming.

— What? Already?

Kobu flinched in surprise just as a strange vibrating sound began to echo from outside the hall.

Wooooooong…!

That was the sound of a high-speed transit station activating.

Guests from Earth were starting to arrive at the ceremony.

‘Well, of course, some people would come early.’

Those like the infamous Shandong Twin Evils, who had already aligned their allegiances, would naturally be in a hurry to get there.

As Yeongwoo recalled the names of some guests he was unexpectedly looking forward to seeing, he turned to face the entrance of the main hall.

At the same time, Kobu stepped forward and spoke.

— You should hurry.

"Huh? Is there something else?"

— While we finish construction, you need to welcome the guests.

"Oh, right. The guest reception. Of course."

Yeongwoo nodded repeatedly, as if he had just remembered.

Then, he turned to Kobu and asked.

"By the way, can we start using the execution platform now?"

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]