1.
Ji Seon-woo.
The world’s strongest man who was called the hero of the century!
The Second-Generation Returnee!
When the first 10,000 people disappeared, their disappearance was not greatly known as they were so few compared to the entire population. However, after more than 100,000 people disappeared, the problem began to be visible.
And by the time this problem was noticed, the portals started to open. From these portals that connected with the other world, mythical monsters poured out. At first, people were trying to defeat them with an Army. However, guns did not work against the monsters who had biological shields. Even with stronger weapons that were now being deployed more often to try to defeat the monsters, it was all but useless. Even the nuke(nuclear weapon), which was considered a last resort, did not work.
Much of humanity died disastrously, and those who appeared just on time were the Second-Generation Returnees! They were a group of Awakened.
As soon as they returned, they used their awakened abilities to kill monsters. And the one who stood out the most among them was Ji Seon-woo!
With a kind heart and excellent skills, he was worthy of the name ‘Hero’. But there was a torment in him.
“Light it.”
It was that he had lost his one and only brother before his own disappearance. Ji Seon-woo, who had been living without his parents, had only one person to call family left to support him. But now he was not there anymore.
The camera mirrored Ji Seon-woo, who was holding a white chrysanthemum in front of the tomb. When a sad look came over his face, the people around him uttered a sigh without knowing it.
He was such an attractive man but to have such a sad expression…
“Do you still miss your brother?”
PD(Producer Director) asked, and Ji Seon-woo answered in a sad voice.
“Yes, I miss him.”
It was said in a heart-throbbing voice.
“What kind of person was your brother?”
“He was sincere and kind.”
On saying that, Ji Seon-woo smiled bitterly.
“He was a good man.”
“Yes. If he was alive, he would have been a better hero than me.”
Everyone sighed sadly at the words.
At the same time, some place in the Demon Realm.
A man felt his ears were itchy and exclaimed. (In Korea, if your ear is itchy, it means that someone is talking behindyour back.)
“Fuck, who’s swearing at me!”
It was Ji Seon-woo’s only big brother, Ji Hyeon-woo, who was thought to have died on Earth. He put his hand up and slammed the back of the monster, which was squatting right next to him.
Bbak!
With a loud sound, the scream of the monster in pain followed.
“Khwaang!”
He shook his head immediately and rubbed his back, but the man, who hit him, did not even nod.
“Is it you?”
The monster, Balrog, shook his head, left and right desperately.
Bbak.
Then this time, his hand turned to the other side. Kerberos, who was acting as a chair and was in a doze, screamed like a second ringtone.
“Khe-kHe-Kheng!”
“Is it you?”
“Woof woof!”
Kerberos shook his head desperately.
“If not, then…”
Ji Hyeon-woo’s gaze turned to the air, where there was nothing.
“Is it you?”
As soon as his words were finished, the air swayed a bit and a little fairy appeared.
“Oh, I’m not. I’m innocent.”
“I’m tired of being here alone. Is there anyone else here who can curse me besides you?”
“Why would I curse my one and only master?”
“Is that all you have to say to my face?”
“Please speak softly.”
“What did I do to be sworn at?”
“You’re like a cursing old lady, aren’t you?”
The fairy murmured.
“Who’s the old lady? Who?”
Ji Hyeon-woo did not touch the fairy even though the grumbling fairy was in front of him. Because he knew what kind of a fairy she was. That fairy had dragged and killed many Earthlings in the Demon Realm. Ji Hyeon-woo wondered just how many people were killed.
The fairy had said in her own words that it was all for the sake of the planet, but it was difficult to agree when he thought about the faces of the people who died.
“It was just a failure in adjusting the difficulty. Thanks to the success in properly adjusting the difficulty in the second and third time, many people returned alive. Now, they will save earth.”
“Then, what about those who were taken away who didn’t know what to do and died and became manure for the Demon Realm?”
“I couldn’t help it. It was just unlucky. Isn’t that quite common?”
“Yeah, that is unlucky.”
Ji Hyeon-woo snatched the fairy who was making noises in the air. He kept it alive because it was a life-related problem, but today, somehow, he felt terribly angry. He felt like he didn’t want to let go of the fairy.
“Hahaha, sir?”
The fairy, held tight in his grasp, looked perplexed.
“Hey, you can’t do this!”
“Okay!”
Gradually, strength entered his grasp. The fairy struggled to get out, but it seemed like she would become a dust of crumbles in the palm of his hand at this rate.
“I have good news! There’s great news for you!”
The fairy desperately squeezed out her voice. However, Ji Hyeon-woo did not withdraw any strength from his hand. He could never believe the fairy’s words.
“Can return! Return!”
The fairy hit his hand with a small fist and exclaimed hurriedly. Then, his hand lost some strength. Of course, Ji Hyeon-woo didn’t lose his grip enough to let the fairy escape.
“Return who?”
“You are able to return!”
“Where?”
“To earth. Earth!”
“Really?”
“I swear everything on my master’s name.”
It was then that his hand completely gave way. The fairy fell to the floor and rolled over, barely standing upright with her body. He was surprised by the fairy’s answer.
“Can I really go back?”
Ji Hyeon-woo quietly looked down at the floor. He remembered the long days of suffering and being dragged to the Demon Realm. During that time, there was only one thing that he had kept trying not to forget.
One family.
His dear little brother.
Ji Seon-woo.
They were each other’s only family, losing their parents at such a young age and then among relatives hungry for their fortune. He was his small, cute little brother, who always laughed and said that he liked his older brother the best. Ji Seon-woo had a hard life, being only looked after by his older brother.
Even after Ji Hyeon-woo was brought to this fucking place and suffered, he never forgot him. How could he forget?
“Are you going back?”
Ji Hyeon-woo looked at the fairy with red eyes. A lot of time had passed since he came to the underworld. Too much time had gone by. What would have happened to his younger brother by now? Was he still alive? He wasn’t sure of anything, yet he wanted to go back.
‘I miss you.’
He missed him. Ji Hyeon-woo replied with that longing.
“I’m going back.”
As soon as the words came out, the fairy laughed, tearing her mouth open.
“I knew you would say that!”
A black dot appeared right in front of him, and it gradually increased in size. It was a portal to another place. Was this really the way to Earth? Although Ji Hyeon-woo was suspicious of the portal, he could not turn away from it. He might see his brother, so he couldn’t turn away.
“Krrug!”
Seeing the portal, Balrog panicked and stepped back.
“Krug!”
The fairy told Balrog that Hyeon-woo was to stay by his side no matter what he did and to let him know everything, but time was running out. Damn it! That Fairy! Balrog shouted inwardly and hastily called his master. It was Albert, his master and the number one rank in the Demon Realm!
In the meantime, Hyeon-woo was just thinking about what to do when he got back to Earth. But it was already late. Hyeon-woo was stepping into the portal. No! Balrog grabbed Kerberos with a quick look and threw him behind Hyeon-woo.
“Krung krung!”
Why me? Kerberos fell into the air and fell towards Hyeon-woo’s back. Then Hyeon-woo reached out and grabbed Kerberos’ neck, and the portal that swallowed them both closed.
“Eh? Kerberos? That’s unexpected.”
The fairy puffed her cheeks and looked at Balrog.
“Keeing keeing?”
Balrog desperately pretended to look elsewhere, trying to avoid the fairy’s gaze. Hyeon-woo handled the fairy like a fly, but she(the fairy) was a disaster for others. So, it was natural for Balrog to do this.
And then, the owner of Balrog arrived.
The most powerful in the Demon Realm, Albert! He was a handsome man with long black hair hanging down to a height of 2 meters. His dark eyes looked around him.
“Where’s Hyeon-woo?”
“He went back to where he came from.”
“This is the only place he has. He has nowhere else to go.”
“No. He must return to Earth. Don’t you know that?”
The fairy pulled out her glasses and handed over some documents that appeared out of nowhere.
“Although we borrowed the Demon Realm as a training ground for Earthlings, the first rental period has just ended. At first, I didn’t know what it was, and it took a long time. That’s why Ji Hyeon-woo stayed in the Demon Realm longer than expected.”
“...I know.”
“Then, why did you ask that?”
“I don’t like the idea of Hyeon-woo going back.”
“He has already gone back.”
“I’ll bring him back.”
“No. Have you forgotten the oath of the Earthlings?”
“It’s not over. What’s going to happen anyway?”
But it doesn’t work that way! The fairy let out a deep sigh. The Demon King of the Demon Realm was such a reckless person. However, one thing that couldn’t be ignored was that his fighting power was incredibly terrifying, but he was nimble compared to what he looked like. So, she had to calm down if she didn’t want to be caught again like how she was by Hyeon-woo. The fairy was determined and looked at Albert. Now was the time for persuasion!
“Ughek.”
After Hyeon-woo went through the long black portal, his heart felt a burning sensation. How long had it been since he felt this sensation of excitement? The feeling he never felt even when he was working with Albert. Hyeon-woo looked up, wiping away the cold sweat from his forehead.
“Where’s this place?”
The place was surrounded by metal walls everywhere, so he couldn’t tell where he was. Was this some sort of factory? Hyeon-woo staggered and walked out, stroking the wall. Where was the door? As he was looking for the door, he felt a gaze from somewhere.
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Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor/Proofreader: Davine
Proofread by HM
HM: I had to proofread this chapter cuz there were so many mistakes. Because it was my first time. Looking back at it now, it seems I have improved quite a bit. Hehe.
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