Chapter 301: Episode 57 – Glorious Return (2)
It was a tranquil dream. Smoke spread in the field of view. It was definitely South Korea but there were unfamiliar structures and story weapons I had never seen, while the sky was dark like the world was about to collapse…
Han Sooyoung in the dream muttered, ‘What is this?’
However, her voice didn’t come out at all. There were two people fighting in front of her. A man in a black coat and a white coat. She had seen this before but something was different. The two men had the same face.
…Yoo Jonghyuk? There was a sound and the two Yoo Jonghyuk in front of her were gone.
What was this situation? What the h.e.l.l was this sight? In a place not far away, she saw Kim Dokja. Kim Dokja knelt down like a man who lost everything. The moment Han Sooyoung reached out her hand, somebody called from right beside her.
-It is up to here.
She looked over and there was a ‘Han Sooyoung’ with the same face as herself. A chill went down her spine. The cold feeling caused Han Sooyoung to wake up from her dream.
“…!”
Han Sooyoung woke up with a light man and realized she was lying on the couch.
“Another dream, dammit.”
It was a dream that had been repeating since a few days ago. Yoo Jonghyuk and Yoo Jonghyuk fought each other while another one of her and Kim Dokja watched. At first, she thought it was a visionary dream. However, no matter how much she tried to interpret it, she couldn’t get a sense of the dream.
News was coming from the distant television.
-The launch of the new Incarnation Alliance is causing a change to the situation on the Korean Peninsula…
Han Sooyoung listened blankly while rolling around the cold ice in her mouth.
…Huh? Ice?
“What is this? Ahjumma, did you put it in my mouth?”
“Why would I do that?”
Lee Sookyung received the water without even looking back. Han Sooyoung frowned as she broke the ice. Then it had to be Yoo Sangah. “How long did I sleep?”
“Two hours.”
“Yoo Sangah?”
“She is drinking coffee in the break room.”
“What break room? Is this place a company?”
She said this but in fact, the building they were residing in was an abandoned company building. Han Sooyoung grumbled and headed to the break room. “Hey, what are you doing?”
There was a small paper cup on the table in the break room. Yoo Sangah was moving her white fingers through the air. The information that emerged from the hologram was leaking into Yoo Sangah’s retinas. The startled Han Sooyoung shouted, “…Are you crazy? Are you using that stigma again?”
“…”
“You can score goals at a really young age. I don’t know what will happen if you spam such a powerful stigma…”
The stigma used by Yoo Sangah was the Hermes System of Olympus. It was Olympus’s big data network that gained information from all over the Star Stream to measure the future.
“It can’t be helped. The worst situation has to be avoided.”
“Don’t I know information about the future?”
“It isn’t enough. There are too many variables.”
The stigma Hermes Stigma dramatically shortens the user’s life span. Han Sooyoung was aware of this fact but she was unable to dissuade Yoo Sangah because Yoo Sangah played a large credit in the group members reaching the 45th scenario. If it wasn’t for Yoo Sangah measuring future scenarios, the party members would’ve experienced a major crisis in the 35th scenario and 40th scenario.
Han Sooyoung bit her lips. This girl…
It had been three years since Kim Dokja disappeared. It had already been a long time since the hope of him coming back had started to dim. Steam rose from the cup of coffee. Yoo Sangah stared at it and opened her mouth. “Sitting here reminds me of my days working at the company. At the time, I always hid in the break room.”
“I never worked in a company so I don’t know.”
“You definitely aren’t a company person.”
Yoo Sangah smiled and Han Sooyoung licked her lips. “You were in the same company as Kim Dokja?”
“Yes.”
“Were the two of you close?”
Yoo Sangah stared at Han Sooyoung, who had tried to sound casual. Yoo Sangah smiled and replied,
“Even then, we were comrades.”
–Disaster alert!
–Disaster alert!
There were loud notifications and Han Sooyoung rushed to the office. Lee Sookyung, who had been on standby, checked the warning area through the television.
“…Another? Where is it this time?”
“Busan.”
“Busan? That isn’t too far. The kids will handle it.” Han Sooyoung replied curtly while looking at the news flash on the screen. Tentacled monsters appeared on the screen and engaged with incarnations.
Lee Sookyung sighed and asked, “Sooyoung, are you keeping in touch with the other kids?”
“Why keep in contact with the kids who don’t like me? Rather, what is emerging on the bowl Ahjumma?”
Lee Sookyung looked down at her star relic. Han Sooyoung asked, “What have you seen this time?”
Lee Sookyung didn’t answer. Han Sooyoung raised her head as she smelt something strange and Lee Sookyung stood like a stiff statue.
Thus, Han Sooyoung realized something.
Kim Dokja had disappeared for three years. In the first place, there was only one thing that Lee Sookyung had been checking.
Han Sooyoung stared at the bowl for a long time before declaring, “I’m going to take a quick trip to Busan. By the way, there is Yoo Jonghyuk now?”
***
I looked at the scenario window that popped up in the air.
+
[Main Scenario #45 ― ‘Glorious Return’]
Category: Main
Difficulty: ???
Clear Conditions: After a long journey, you have finally returned home. Let people in your hometown
know about your presence and leave a mark that you are back in one of the main base areas. The people of your hometown will welcome you.
Time Limit: None
Compensation: 200,000 coins, the removal of the disaster transformation.
Failure: Death
* While the scenario is in progress, the incarnations will recognize returnees as creatures.
* While the scenario is in progress, the incarnations can’t understand the language of the returnees.
+
The clear conditions were screwed up but cursing didn’t make people feel better.
[Your goal is ‘Yeouido, Seoul.]
[There is currently no markable base area nearby.]
I took a deep breath. Yes, maybe this was better. If I had to carry out the 45th scenario anyway, it might be a good thing that I was a returnee. This scenario was practice for some places that would be opened in the future.
“s.h.i.+t! Why are they attacking?”
The returnees attacked by incarnations were angry. Not all the surviving incarnations were strong. There were still some incarnations without sponsors and others who later joined the scenario. Therefore, the attacks of the incarnations weren’t threatening to the returnees.
“I can’t stand it. Hey friends, just wipe out the whole area―”
“It isn’t possible.”
The returnees’ expressions hardened at my words. “Why? They attacked first!”
“What is the good reason?”
“What is the reason? s.h.i.+t, look at their faces. They want to catch and kill us right away.”
It certainly seemed that way. I was confused on how to explain this situation.
[The dokkaebis disapprove of your presence.]
Originally, the 45th scenario was a full-scale deployment of returnees and existing incarnations. Since my group number was 163, there must be 162 groups summoned all over the world.
The first returnees war. In the original novel, the third round Korean Peninsula was devastated by this war. In other words, it would flow like the original if this kept happening.
“What? The disasters are talking together?”
“Kill them quickly! The Black Flames Empress said so. It is easy to kill them when they are off guard!”
“No, didn’t you hear about the Moonlight Wise Empress? There are disasters that can communicate so be careful…”
I heard some familiar nicknames. In any case, the strong incarnations of the Korean Peninsula were still alive, allowing these incarnations to be carefree.
Then a returnee waiting for my words seized my collar. “I will kill you if you disturb me. Get lost.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
The returnee aimed his status at me and I grabbed the returnee’s wrist.
[The constellation ‘Demon King of Salvation’ is opening his ‘status.’]
There was the sound of bones breaking and the face of the returnee I grabbed started to turn blue.
“W-Who are you…?”
The frightened returnee’s legs weakened.
[The temporary channel has opened.]
[The constellations of the Korean Peninsula are paying attention to you!]
[The constellation ‘Bald General of Justice’ has entered the channel.]
[The constellation ‘Maritime War G.o.d’ feels a sense of deja vu from you.]
They were welcome modifiers but now wasn’t the time for greetings. I told the returnees, [Shut up and put away all weapons. Then gather by my side. I will blow away your brains if you are late, so move quickly.]
I deliberately spoke in a radical manner. Those who realized the difference in my true voice gathered around me. By the way, it wasn’t only the returnees who were confused.
“Crazy! What is that monster?”
“Report it quickly! Report to the alliance!”
The incarnations that felt my status were running away. I thought this had worked out better. Flying Fox asked, “B-Brother. Are you the leader of our group?”
I nodded and the returnees exclaimed, “Oh my G.o.d, we have a constellation among us…”
There were 10 returnees gathered around me. There were five from a medieval planet and three from Murim. The remaining two were from other areas. I gazed at their faces one by one and started talking.
“I don’t know where you came from or your purpose for coming back.” The nervous returnees were looking at me. “There is one certain thing. If this scenario fails, we will all die.”
Some of the returnees belatedly opened the scenario window.
“You can’t meet your loved ones or acquaintances, nor can you step on your hometown. We will be remembered as ‘disasters’ to the people of Earth.”
The returnees who argued with me and the returnees who were deeply shocked. They seemed to be coming to their senses one by one. Some returnees saw themselves in the gla.s.s of the broken buildings.
“The reason they attacked us…”
“It isn’t just our appearance. There were returnees who were summoned before us.”
Some returnees came back because they missed their homes while others came back to destroy their homes. They threatened Earth’s well-being and perhaps it was currently happening in other places. I declared with confidence, “You shouldn’t fight. It will only cause ruin.”
“Why don’t we tell them that we don’t intend to fight?”
“It is doubtful if they will believe it and it is also hard to communicate our words. Our words won’t be properly conveyed to them until the end of the scenario.”
The returnees’ expressions darkened. “Do you have any plans?”
“Avoid combat as much as possible. Make it a top priority to leave a mark on a base. Once we clear this scenario, we can escape from being disasters.”
Fortunately, I was able to communicate with this group. There was Flying Fox so if I was lucky, I would be able to complete the scenario without much conflict. However, things didn’t work out so easily, just as in all scenarios.
“Alliance! The Busan Alliance!”
Along with the shouts, people approached through the crowd of incarnations that split apart. At this moment, I heard the distant sound of boats in my ears. There was a faint saltiness in the breeze from Haeundae.
[The ‘Fourth Wall’ is s.h.i.+mmering faintly.]
12 boats appeared on the sandy beach of Haeundae. Two people leapt from the front boat.
“The admiral has come!”
“The Insect King!”
I once again realized that a lot of time has pa.s.sed. Some things had changed and some hadn’t changed. The girl with the cap on her head was still wearing her distinctive hoodie but she no longer wore a uniform skirt.
The boy with the insect net still had his distinctive, fierce eyes but his features were more p.r.o.nounced and he was taller. At the very least, he couldn’t stick to my thighs anymore.
“Kid, do you want to do it or should I?
“We will decide by tossing a coin.”
I missed them. I really missed them. I wanted to say this. The pure white sand sparkled and I knew I had to run away, but I couldn’t move my feet.
[The constellation ‘Demon King of Salvation’ is looking at his companions.]
Maybe I had hope. The others were different but they would definitely recognize me. Perhaps I wanted to believe that.
[The scenario penalty has distorted the indirect message.]
The next moment, an indirect message emerged in the air.
[The ‘Ugly Squid’ is provoking the incarnation ‘Lee Jihye’.]
Lee Jihye stared at me. “Kid, I will kill that squid.”