Everyone Else is a Returnee

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Having had an entire night of good sleep, Yu IlHan succeeded in blowing away a few days worth of fatigue, as expected of a rest skill master.

Now, he couldn’t delay it anymore. It was now time to go to China.
However, when he did say that, his mother’s reaction was like this:

“Going out again? Then mom will go to Ya’umin for a little.”
“Did some good seafood appear?”
“Something like that.”

His mother seemed to be enjoying her life in her own way. Eating away at the stew made with unknown animal’s meat on the table, Yu IlHan was satisfied. Human adaptability was truly amazing.

He washed himself clean after the meal, and having refreshed himself, he restocked his weapons in his workshop, as he had planned. First, he restocked the short spears which he used in the mutated species dungeon, since he threw them everywhere, then repaired the pile bunker with all his heart, since he had to use the remaining ten shots properly.
He also repaired his other weapons and his armor. He saw that, somehow, the attack power and the defense increased as he repaired them, but he decided not to mind.

[Aren’t you using that 3rd cla.s.s magic stone? Even if you use one for Empress’ weapon, there’s one left.](Erta)

Seeing that Yu IlHan restocked, but did not make any new weapons, Erta asked in confusion. Then, Yu IlHan replied while smiling.

“It’s because I can’t think of anything to make. It’s not time to swap armor yet, and the spear is plenty strong too. Making sub-weapons is a waste of mana too.”
[Why aren’t you making accessoires?](Lita)

At that moment, Lita said something completely unexpected. Like a boxer who was about to faint from being hit from a dead angle, Yu Il Han asked back in a small voice.

“Acc…essories?”
[Yeah.]

Yu IlHan’s heart pounded. He couldn’t not think back to the games he played before the Great Cataclysm. In reality, they had no use other than for decoration, no, more like, they were made for decoration(!), aren’t they just as important as weapons and armor in games!

Putting Lita on his palm, Yu IlHan opened his mouth.”

“Why don’t you explain that in a little more detail?”
[Not every artifacts are armors and weapons. Mana crafting is processing the crafter’s will by borrowing the power of mana and imbuing in an item. So, it doesn’t have to be armors and swords.]
“Sorry for using the word ‘detail’, just go straight to the point.”
[Uh, like I said it’s……]

Why Lita was pondering, Erta replied in place of her while laughing with a ‘heh’.

[It means that you have a lot of equipment slots left.]
“Good, much more direct!”

It wasn’t only games. In fantasy novels, too, don’t those main characters break through crises with a special power imbued necklaces/rings/tattoos/bracelets/anklets/earrings/etc? Lita and Erta were saying that Yu IlHan was capable of making such artifacts.

Yu IlHan also thought it was possible. No, rather, unlike armors and weapons which had a clear purpose of either blocking or attacking, he thought that the range of effect an una.s.suming accessory could have maybe much more than those.

[So, are you going to make anything?](Erta)
“Yeah.”
[I like rings!](Lita)(T/N: This sentence can also mean ‘I would like a ring!’)
“I don’t. It takes a long time to make one.”
[Uh… yeah……](Lita)

While Lita was getting dejected for some reason, what the thousand year virgin decided to make was a bracelet.

He extracted the most intact part of the giant thunder bird and processed it into an ordinary bracelet. It was a thin leather bracelet that would fit inside a gauntlet.

That, which looked more like an armband than a bracelet, looked very ordinary, but the materials weren’t from a 3rd cla.s.s monster for nothing, so it was tough to the point that ordinary swords wouldn’t be able to damage it at all.

[Good idea. The spoils of war you’ve earned this time is not suitable to make a necklace or an earring.](Erta)
“That’s not it, I only made it since it takes the least time to make.”
[Ok……](Erta)

Now, while even Erta was getting dejected for some reason, Yu IlHan prepared to mana craft. On one hand was the leather bracelet, and on the other was the bigger magic stone of the two 3rd cla.s.s thunder bird magic stones.
However, what was more important than the materials was his will. Taking a deep breath, Yu IlHan closed his eyes.

In the pitch black vision and silence, what Yu IlHan thought of was the lightning vortex that the thunder bird had made. Even if it wasn’t to that extent, Yu IlHan wanted a protective membrane before his armor was pierced.

A brilliant light formed. The positive light that told him of the mana craft’s big success. This light, which other people with mana crafting would see once in a year or so, was something that Yu IlHan saw more than sunlight.

That didn’t mean that this was from luck. It was because he had a deep understanding of the technique known as mana crafting.

Yu IlHan had the record of killing the thunder bird himself, and the bracelet and the magic stone was from the thunder bird as well. This was, really, textbook mana crafting.
Of course, there weren’t many people who didn’t know of this fact, but it was hard to do it the textbook way. Everything in the world was always like this.

[Quick Lightning Storm’s Gold Leather Bracelet]
[Rank – Unique]
[Defense – 1,700]
[Options – 20% increase in mana recovery speed; when hit, it’s possible to create a lightning storm. Limited to once a day.]
[Durability – 1,150/1,150]
[An artifact with concentrated power of lightning imbued into it. Inside it dwells a strong and violent power of a monster.]

“Wao.”

The option that the Empress, Kang MiRae, wanted so much, was attached on this bracelet! Of course, since Yu IlHan couldn’t use mana yet, increase in mana recovery speed was useless.

He briefly pondered on whether to sell this to Kang MiRae or not, but since it had the option he himself wanted as well, he decided to wear it himself.
Gaining money was nothing bad, but safety was above all! Moreover, since the results were better than he had thought, he got slightly scared. That was because he felt that a high level of danger, befitting those stats, would come at him.

[What’s up with you, IlHan? How can you make the things that are on the same level as a kingdom’s treasure, so easily?](Lita)
[That’s nothing, considering he made a spear that could pierce a 2nd cla.s.s monster’s skin, with pure steel.](Erta)

Lita was surprised at Yu IlHan’s ability, but as Erta had already given up, she was replying quite comfortably.
Meanwhile, after he checked the bracelet’s options, prepared to go out along with the confidence that he would be able to take care of everything even if another monster on the same level as Reta Kar’iha appeared.

His destination was the central mountainous regions of the Shandong Province of China, where it was famous for the city, Qingdao. Resolving to himself that he would not eat lamb kebabs, or drink Tsingtao, and that he will go straight back home after clearing the Quegna dungeon, he headed to Incheon Airport. To stowaway, of course! (T/N: I know nothing about China, and this whole paragraph maybe horribly wrong. Thanks to ensj for ‘Tsingtao’, cuz Qingdao and Tsingtao are written in the same way in Korean, I dunno what it is tho)

The airport was crowded with people. Now that high-level people were getting their 2nd cla.s.ses one after another, the sky roads were opening more and more.
There weren’t many courageous people who left home to tour, but in the world, there were many people who had no choice but to take one.

There really were a variety of people at the airport. Businessmen, an ability user wearing an armor, people in military clothes…… There were some who Yu IlHan was familiar with, but Yu IlHan felt like their reunion was foreshadowing something and became worried.

“Ah, I swear I will finish my service properly and go marry.”
“I don’t think the country will let you go, second lieutenant Han.”
“No one can block me from marrying.”

The figures of colonel Yoon DaeHan, and second lieutenant Han YeoRang, who he had met during the initial stages of the Great Cataclysm, while he was going around everywhere killing monsters.

He thought that those two wouldn’t be together, with the difference in their ranks and all, but now, from the unusual-looking black military outfit, it seemed that they now belonged to the special forces.
Yu IlHan also immediately realized what special forces they were in. Suppression, that was the only thing. (T/N: Remember Suppression nicknamed Depression?)

‘I do want to contact them now that I’ve met them…’

Even though he now could gain an enormous amount of money through the transaction with Kang MiRae, he did not change his mind to sell the ma.s.s produced equipments to Suppression. Since his aim was to make other people defend against monsters better.

It would be better to contact them through the people he knew, and now would be the best opportunity, but no matter how he thought about it, he had a bad premonition.
The feeling that he would get caught up in a new quest, if he talked to them, a.s.saulted him. There were many planes departing from Incheon Airport anyway, and from the look of it, they should be leaving on a military plane, so his and their paths probably won’t cross each other.

‘Yes, let’s leave it to another time.’

Why did special forces such as Suppression come to Incheon airport when they had the military airport? They had some tearfully unfortunate circ.u.mstances, but……

[Suppression Guardian Forces will depart in 30 minutes.]

Honestly speaking, only the Incheon Airport had military forces that protected airways from monsters.

Yes, they had neither money nor soldiers! Just where did that much national defense budget go, he didn’t know, but anyway, Korea didn’t have an enough number of military ability users to spread them out to different airports.
The reason they showed up in Incheon Airport was also because of that. No, perhaps, they maybe the Guardian Forces themselves. Since they all belonged to Suppression.

Yu IlHan ignored the soldiers and proceeded forward. He checked the plane going to his destination, and quickly got on board. HIs stowaway was already at an art-level.
His concealment, which no modern magic or science could see through, carried him safely inside the plane, and just as he was about to lie down on an empty seat, he had a thought.

‘Wait, this wouldn’t have happened if I applied for a pa.s.sport last time, would it?’
[It’s good that you know now.](Erta)
[Zzz.](Lita)

Carrying Yu IlHan, who had a late realization, the plane flew towards China.

As soon as he got off the plane, Yu IlHan ran across the city with the help of Navigation Erta. (T/N: I wanted to put Erta-vigation, but oh well…)

“Wow, this is a total mess.”

It wasn’t like Korea did well in defending against monsters, but most of China barely retained their city form; it was that tattered and ruined. High-rise buildings fallen over like dominos were everywhere, and smaller buildings were worse.

In the cities where restoration was underway, there were countless wanderers without homes. There was no way they would find Yu IlHan, but every time Yu IlHan came within their vision, he stopped slightly. He had remembered back to when he fought the huge bear in Seongbuk-gu, last time, when many people were running away from their homes.
If he said he was comfortable while looking at them, then he would be lying.

[All existences have the right and obligation to live with their own power. It is not necessary for you to mind them](Erta)
[You don’t need to help them. You just have to protect yourself.](Lita)
“……Yes. Of course.”

The angels seemed to have noticed where his gazes were going. To them, who encouraged Yu IlHan with quite the cold words, Yu IlHan replied to them with a bitter smile and hurried on.

He wanted to help the people in crises if it was possible. If it did not put him into danger, he could move while being resolved to get injured.
It wasn’t because of kindness or because he was an idiot, but just that it felt disgusting to see his own race dying in front of his eyes. And honestly, rescuing humans felt quite good.

But that was it. The most important thing to Yu IlHan was Yu IlHan himself. He did not thing arrogantly that he would be able to save all the pitiful people in the world. It was unfortunate, but a life was too short even to live for oneself. (T/N: I like his philosophy)

How long was it to the dungeon he was aiming for? To shake the bad feelings off, Yu IlHan wanted to get in battle quickly. It was fine even if it was a strong opponent. Rather, he wanted to fight one.
However, as if she knew what he was thinking, Lita muttered with a stiff voice.

[This is dangerous.](Lita)
[What is?](Erta)

Erta didn’t seem to notice anything. Yu IlHan first stopped and asked Lita.

“What is it now? Did a 4th cla.s.s monster appear nearby?”
[Something like that.](Lita)
[Wait, I did not feel anything. Lita, just what happened?](Erta)
[Dungeon concealment. I think we grabbed onto the tail of the traitors. And one that’s more serious than we think.](Lita)

Erta became speechless from the seriousness in Lita’s voice, since she had never heard her speak like that before.
On the other hand, Yu IlHan sighed in relief.

“Phew, I wondered when it would be. It’s fortunate that I got to know it beforehand, this time.”
[The part you’re being relieved about is strange!](Erta)

Erta shouted in rage, but Yu IlHan replied while smiling.

“What do you mean? It makes a huge difference.”

It was different from the time when he had to fight against Reta Kar’iha.
The fact that the overlord of concealment, Yu IlHan, saw the crisis coming, and could move against it.

The meaning of that, wouldn’t be known by his enemies.

Author’s notes
1. Erta’s completely tamed…
2. Lamb kebabs are best in Qingdao. Guo Bao Rou is good as an alcohol side snack as well. Chinese food are good as snacks to go with alcohol! Is it just that? Erguotuo jiu with menbosha are hmmm… Yeonnam-dong(T/N: This is in Korea) is quite good. I recommend the chinese restaurant, Hyang-mi. (T/N: He lists all that chinese food (which I have no idea what they are), but since he had never gone to China, he mentions a restaurant in Korea, lol)
3. Yoon DaeHan and Han YeoRang is planned to keep appearing to appeal the pitiful ‘strong friends’.
4. I repeat, but the mage is very powerful! They become invincible if they have a knight protecting them!! If they don’t walk around alone like a fool, then would there be anyone who can kill them? (T/N: I know what you’re thinking – MC can)