“The gate is opening!?”
[There are signs of it! So we need to hurry, we need to go now!] (Liera)
Yu IlHan had just finished making the wings, but he had already ran simulations on its use since the time he made the blueprint. The blade-feathered wings, Ruin Calling, naturally had a use in enhancing the Leap skill, but the core lay in the shockwave.
The shockwave he could release in any direction he wants by controlling the wings. If he wanted to, he could send it forward to attack the enemies, but the true usage did was not that.
“Okay, let’s go!”
[Wow, what’s that turbo booster?] (Liera)
When Yu IlHan leapt up into the skies using Leap and Re-leap, he inputted mana into the wings and activated the shockwave, backwards. Immediately, Yu IlHan’s body shot forward, as for the distance, around a hundred meters!
If he set the vector of the receiving force well, he could accelerate using the maximum power of the repulsion force, and the most amazing fact about this shockwave was neither its sudden acceleration nor the ability to accelerate.
It was that he could use the shockwave as a foothold instead of the ground, and deploy Leap and Re-leap again! This was impossible for someone who had no sense for or could not handle mana!
[Whoa! What the h.e.l.l? That’s so OP!] (Liera)
“It is indeed OP!”
Yu IlHan acknowledged the fact as he accelerated forward again by sending out a shockwave. Liera, who was almost about to be left behind by a mere human with those funny-looking wings, flapped her wings and caught up to him.”
“Whew, this is nice alright.”
He could alter the direction by moving the wings by minutely flexing his back muscles, and even without being tense, he could move around freely thanks to the wings.
Well, although it wasn’t that inconvenient to use Aegis as foothold to jump, this was much more convenient, and about three times faster.
The most decisive change was that his vision had changed. He had to watch out for any obstacles ahead when running using Leap, but now, it was possible to see the ground while flying in a lying down position. Although it was not much of a difference, he found it enjoyable anyway.
“Huhahaha. Humans are mere specks of dust here!”
[I was wondering why you weren’t saying that…… You seem to enjoy it.] (Liera)
“It’s because I don’t need to worry about anything anymore.”
Said he with a bright smile. Even now that the gate was showing signs of opening, Yu IlHan’s subordinates were still connected to him. In fact, not to mention ‘intact’, they had grew so rapidly in those ten days that his Rule skill had reached level 50!
As such, their safe return was pretty much set in stone. Yu IlHan was sure that it was Erta who had opened the gate. How could he not be happy when he was thinking that they were all coming back safely?
[Yeah, it’s really fortunate. It really is.] (Liera)
Liera smiled while approaching Yu IlHan. Now that Yu IlHan could use Ruin Calling to fly rapidly in the sky, it would be fine for her to turn mini-sized and dig into his embrace or grab onto his hair, but it made her happier to fly alongside him.
[IlHan, you really grew up.] (Liera)
“Don’t raise any flags now. It feels like someone’s gonna die.”
[Hey, it’s been a while you mentioned foreshadows.] (Liera)
“I’m kinda scared now since obvious things are happening so obviously.”
Yu IlHan smiled a little while meeting the wind against his face. Liera also smiled.
It hadn’t even been a year since the Earth had met its Great Cataclysm, but Yu IlHan’s level was already 144. Earth was only nearing its 2nd Great Cataclysm, yet the average level of the people of Earth were bordering insane numbers for such a period.
Countless connections with other worlds for unknown reasons. The Destruction Demon Army, the Army of Brilliant Light, and the traitors who are scheme on Earth, when it wasn’t really that special……
Yu IlHan was caught up in the most chaotic incident Liera had met since she had become an angel. Would Yu IlHan be able to endure all the changes and grow up? Will he be able to not give up on Earth? Liera was worried about that.
And at one moment,
“Liera, I have something to confirm with you now that I think this is maybe the last time we can stay alone together.”
[Huh?……..S,s,s,s,s,s,say it!] (Liera)
Said Liera in panic when she was thinking about Yu IlHan.
What was this suspicious sounding intro? Raising flags? Isn’t this the flag for confession?
‘But thanks anyway. I’ll welcome it anytime!’
While Liera popped out fanfares in her head, Yu IlHan spoke.
“Does G.o.d really exist?”
[……Huh?]
Liera’s thumping heart, started thumping in a slightly different sense. However, Yu IlHan repeated his words while minutely flexing his muscles. He was still smiling.
“G.o.d, does he really exist?”
[Well…… yes. Didn’t I say from our first encounter? I came here to meet you on G.o.d’s orders. Thanks to that we’re still……] (Liera)
“And you met G.o.d, and directly received orders from him?”
Liera lost her words. She, who was thinking about her rose-colored future until just now, could not understand what Yu IlHan was thinking, and became dejected in an instant.
[It’s not that. Lord G.o.d is someone too sacred that an angel like me cannot meet….. That’s why we of Heaven’s Army exist. We spread his will across all worlds, protect the lower worlds, install Traps of Destructions…..] (Liera)
“Is that so.”
Liera somehow felt quite hurried. She was worried that he would fly somewhere else if she didn’t grab onto him. Naturally, she was sounding like she was persuading him.
[IlHan, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but there are too many evidences that prove G.o.d’s existence! Look at me! The fact that I could become an angel, and acquire these wings is also because of Lord G.o.d’s existence! A true G.o.d, and not a false G.o.d like the G.o.d of smithing, G.o.d of love, or the G.o.d of beauty!] (Liera)
“Okay.”
[Well, it’s not like I don’t understand your doubt since Earth has become like this, but in the first place, the fact that Earth still exists, is a proof of G.o.d’s existence!] (Liera)
Liera tried her best to persuade Yu IlHan. Of course, her final objective was to make him into an angel and have a wedding in Heaven! Yu IlHan only nodded without showing any signs of knowing or not knowing that fact.
“I got it already. I only wanted to ask once so don’t get so angry. I’m not thinking of rejecting your faith.”
Turning his face away from her, he looked at the front. However, Liera still could not understand what he was thinking. Why did things become like this, even though they were in a joyful mood just a moment ago. How?
[You, really understand me, right……?] (Liera)
Of course, Yu IlHan did not reply to her. He only flapped his wings to produce a shockwave to go ahead.
[Hey, wait for me!] (Liera)
Seeing that, Liera also flapped her wings to follow. Yu IlHan’s sudden question, and the ripple in her heart also disappeared along with the sounds of flapping wings.
He could have asked because he was curious, as he had said. She just ended her thoughts there.
The two succeeded in reaching the ruins near New York’s gate in exactly 17 minutes. Even Spiera, who was waiting with her spear in her hand while lining up the wolves, was surprised.
[Just how did this happen?] (Spiera)
[IlHan made OP equipment as always. It’s that blueprint from last time.] (Liera)
[……Oh, is that so.] (Spiera)
Although it hadn’t been a long time since Spiera became Yu IlHan’s contractor, she had already acknowledged the fact that it would be endless once she started retorting him. As such, she didn’t say anything even when Yu IlHan moved his bladed wings.
[It will open soon. I can feel a large scale formation beyond that place.] (Spiera)
[This formation…..] (Liera)
[Yes, it’s Erta’s doing. I should ask how she did it, when she shouldn’t have been able to bring out any of her powers as an angel.] (Spiera)
Spiera said in a small smile. Liera heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that she was worried about Erta after all.
[It’s connected.] (Spiera)
[This aura is…..!] (Liera)
Soon, a black-haired, golden-eyed, very, very handsome boy around 11 years old, ran out. Although he looked around 4 to 5 years older than when they last saw him, Yu IlHan instantly recognized him as his son, Yumir.
“Mir!”
“Dad!”
Yumir ran into Yu IlHan’s embrace without a moment of hesitation. Yu IlHan instantly put away his armor with his well-trained switching technique, and hugged his son.
“It’s the real dad! Dad……!”
“Yes, yes.”
Yumir ended up crying now that he really felt that he was in Yu IlHan’s embrace.
Well, although it was only 10 days, they had experienced so many harsh things in order to level up so much. There would have been a lot of difficult and sad things. Yu IlHan silently embraced him and consoled him. His posture looked quite natural, and it was because there were some times when he was hugged by Liera in his millennium dropout period.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the reason Yu IlHan grew up to be a man who can embrace others, was all because of Liera.
“It was hard, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, *sob*. It was so hard. I wanted to see you so much.”
“Dad also wanted to see you, Mir.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
While Yumir was being doted on by Yu IlHan, the others all jumped out from the gate.
“Master!”
“It’s fortunate to see you again.”
Ericia, who grew up so rapidly, and Flemir with a sharper aura, and the two wolves that supported them.
“Your Majesty!”
“His Majesty came here for us, what an honor……”
“Aah, His Majesty’s figure is as das.h.i.+ng as ever!”
“Your Majesty, we have protected the His Highness according to your orders! ……Although it somehow feels like we were protected instead, but anyway!”
The four elves, that made him doubt how they became so strong in just ten days of time, and continuing on, Erta……
[Yu IlHan!] (Erta)
It wasn’t the mini-sized Erta he saw normally, but a human-sized Erta, that ran into his embrace! Like Yumir, with all of her body!
Although he reflexively received her with one arm, Yu IlHan could only be dumbfounded.
“Hey, your character changed a lot!?”
[D, don’t get me wrong. I only approached in order to regain the close relations.h.i.+p that should exist between the angel and the contractor.] (Erta)
“What do you call this again? A tsu*…..”
[Shaddap! Shut your mouth and widen those arms a little more!] (Erta)
Yumir in one arm, and Erta in the other. Now that Yu IlHan couldn’t flinch, Liera took out her spear and aimed at Erta.
[Does that woman really want to die……] (Liera)
[She was in an Abandoned World until now. Considering her worry and tension, isn’t it fine to let her be for a moment?] (Spiera)
[……Hmph!] (Liera)
Very well, just for now! Just as Liera set her heart to let her go for just now, the gate spat out the last two people: Kang MiRae, and Na YuNa.
“Ah.”
“Mr. IlHan.”
“It really is Mr. Yu IlHan! He is still as ever! Wait, no, did he get more handsome?”
Although they had gotten stronger like the others. Somehow, both Kang MiRae and Na YuNa seemed to have gotten a little more ‘mature’ over the ten days. Just how much hards.h.i.+p did they go through?
Even though they didn’t have any intention to, Yu IlHan was planning to not let them off easily for dragging Mir into another world, but now, he felt pity for them.
But then, something unimaginable happened to Yu IlHan.
“Uh.”
Kang MiRae’s two eyes teared up after seeing Yu IlHan, then she suddenly threw her body towards him even though his arms were already full with Yumir and Erta!
“Huh? Huuuuuuuh?”
“Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!”
Then she suddenly started crying in a loud voice while putting her arms around Yu IlHan’s neck!
“What the h.e.l.l? Are they all under some weird curse!?”
Yu IlHan, who was not used to being in contact with women other than his family, panicked without knowing what to do. But then, Na YuNa, who thought that the situation was interesting, flew towards him and hugged him. The abundant scent of females around him made him panicked even more.
“How good!”
“What the h.e.l.l? Get off me! You first get off! I really don’t like you so get off!”
“Don’t be like thaaaat.”
Although Yu IlHan had the confidence to stay calm at any moment, he couldn’t win against the current one!
“What the h.e.l.l? What the h.e.l.l is up with all of you? Why are you all like this?”
“Yay, this is fuuun! Come here everyone!”
“Then please excuse me, Your Majesty!”
“Yahoo!”
Biting on Na YuNa’s bait, the elves jumped in on Yu IlHan as well! Erta and Yumir were almost about to suffocate, but they didn’t try to let go of Yu IlHan at all.
In the end, even Ericia joined in carefully and Yu IlHan couldn’t be seen from the outside anymore. Perhaps it was a consolation prize that Flemir and the two wolves didn’t join in.
[Just what is this!] (Liera)
[I’ve heard that there are three times when a human’s popularity peaks out during one’s lifetime…..] (Spiera)
[Not that, well, yeah, even though my IlHan is always so cool, but even so!] (Liera)
[This hopeless angel…] (Spiera)
Liera was too confused and couldn’t even get angry while watching that scene. Yu IlHan sent her an SOS signal as his limit was broken through a long time ago, but she was so confused that she couldn’t catch his signal.
“Ah shees.h.!.+”
Yu IlHan exploded and shouted while pus.h.i.+ng Na YuNa away with all his might.
“No matter what happened, why are you all like this when only ten days have pa.s.sed?”
At that moment, everyone that was embracing Yu IlHan, stopped their actions.
“Huh?”
“Huuh?”
“Sorry?”
“……Ten days?”
“Your Majesty?”
“Ten days!?”
“……Huh?”
When Yu IlHan tilted his head due to their strange reactions, Yumir, who was still in his arm, raised his head and spoke.
“Dad, we spent 1,000 days in there.”
“What?”
Yu IlHan and Yumir’s gazes met.
“1,000 days?”
“Yup, 1,000 days!”
Yu IlHan raised his head. His eyes met with Liera’s. Her eyes were trembling non-stop. Yu IlHan must be making the same expression as her right now.
10 days, and 1,000 days.
Somehow, that was a rather familiar ratio.
Author"s notes
The expected period of Yu IlHan"s dropout was 10 years, while he actually spent 1,000 years.Erta"s words and her opposite actions, is technically termed "tsundere"! The type that cannot be honest with her words to her heart, and show her real heart in unexpected moments… It"s a personality that"s hard to show the charm of. Many people say that that"s no charm but bullsh*tting…. T_TNo matter how mature Kang MiRae acted until now, her age is still 20. (T/N: As I said before, 30 if you include 10 years before 1st GC). And she suffered for 2 years and 9 months in a world that was not Earth….Kang MiRae was fine, but Na YuNa was no good, eh.Yu IlHan isn"t used to the first "peak popularity" period of his life. huh T_TTranslator"s notes:
Proofreader"s notes: Chamber nim appreciates donations! even when he"s on break!