A Gift from Another World
The reunion of the Astelgard alumni association took place at a quiet villa in the suburbs of the metropolitan area.
It belonged to one of the association members.
“Honestly, I’m more comfortable with a place like this than an apartment. I lived in a house like this back in Astelgard too, so I guess that’s why.”
Lee Sehan said as he drove into the villa grounds.
The gate opened naturally once it scanned the car’s registered license plate.
After that, they opened the grand front door and stepped inside. A massive banquet hall unfolded before them, reminiscent of a Western-style party.
Inside were about a dozen people, and all eyes instantly turned toward the newcomers.
“Oh. Sehan’s here?”
“It’s been a while. You’re a hard man to catch.”
“Haha. I’m sorry. I should have reached out more often.”
“Don’t worry about it. We all get busy.”
Lee Sehan greeted the others while Lim Dojun stood half a step behind, quietly observing the scene.
These auras are no joke.
Although he kept it hidden, ever since his Dragon’s Body percentage had exceeded 1%, Lim Dojun’s senses had become incredibly sharp.
Even if they were concealing their power, he could still gauge their approximate level of skill.
At the very least, they’re on the same level as my master.
Delcrein, the branch leader of the Blue Magic Tower, was by no means weak, yet not a single one of the returnees present was beneath him.
Lee Sehan smiled and introduced the man beside him.
“This is Mr. Dojun. I owe him a tremendous debt this time.”
“I’m Lim Dojun. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”
Lim Dojun greeted them naturally.
“Nice to meet you. I heard you’re also from Astelgard.”
“Sehan told us you brought news about his cat. I can’t thank you enough.”
“Anyone from the old hometown is always welcome.”
The returnees smiled and welcomed him.
However, despite their friendly words, the emotions in their eyes were lukewarm at best.
Indifference itself—no particular curiosity, no real interest.
Most of them understood that Lee Sehan had every right to invite Lim Dojun, but that was where their acceptance ended.
I hope he doesn’t become a nuisance and stick around.
He’s Sehan’s benefactor, so it’d be rude to treat him poorly.
To them, Lim Dojun was someone they would see once and likely never again.
Naturally, a simple greeting was all they offered on the surface.
And there was one person who didn’t keep those thoughts to himself.
“Hmph. Welcome? Don’t make me laugh. Just don’t be a bother.”
It was a man who looked hot-tempered at first glance.
The person next to him tried to restrain him.
“Director Go.”
“What? Did I say something wrong?”
“Whether you’re right or wrong, you should watch your mouth. This isn’t Astelgard.”
“That’s exactly why I’m relieved. If we were still in Astelgard, I would’ve drawn my sword the moment something displeased me.”
“Ugh… I knew someone from the Extreme Martial God Sect would be like this…”
The other returnees clicked their tongues.
Now that they had returned to Earth, they were supposed to follow Earth’s ways, but Go Wonjin refused to change.
He acted purely on his own whims, and because his strength was so overwhelming, no one could stop him.
Lim Dojun simply brushed off Go Wonjin’s attitude.
He hadn’t expected these people to welcome him warmly in the first place.
After all, he had only come to this gathering because Lee Sehan had half-forced him to attend.
I would have felt the same way in their position.
In fact, if they had welcomed him too eagerly, he would have suspected some hidden motive.
So Lim Dojun opened his bag.
“Since this is my first time attending one of these gatherings, I prepared a small gift for everyone.”
Even at the word “gift,” no one seemed particularly excited.
No matter what luxury brand item came out of that bag, it probably wouldn’t impress them.
And what Lim Dojun pulled out was a single bottle of liquor.
“Liquor? I’ve tried some of the rarest bottles left in the world, but…”
Go Wonjin’s mouth snapped shut mid-sentence.
The moment Lim Dojun uncorked the bottle, a familiar aroma spread through the air.
The instant he smelled it, his body felt strangely lighter.
This wasn’t just a feeling.
It was a drink made by infusing one of the more common herbs called “windgrass.” The taste was average, but it slightly lightened the body, making it a favorite among mercenaries.
“Nomad Wind…?”
Countless low-ranking mercenaries drank this after a long, exhausting day to shake off their fatigue.
The same was true for most returnees.
They had all been dropped into another world with nothing and had to claw their way up from the bottom. During those days, Nomad Wind had been the drink they sipped to end each day before falling asleep.
Having consumed this liquor for anywhere from several years to over a decade, there was no way they wouldn’t recognize its scent. Yet this was something that simply didn’t exist on Earth.
Of course it didn’t.
There was no such thing as windgrass on this planet!
Go Wonjin stared at Lim Dojun with trembling eyes, as if silently asking whether he had heard correctly. Lim Dojun simply smiled softly.
“You recognize it.”
“H-how…?”
“I have a rather special ability. It allows me to bring items from Astelgard to Earth.”
“!!”
Lim Dojun spoke calmly, but the returnees’ reactions were anything but.
Those who had shown zero interest at first, those who had only been polite for Lee Sehan’s sake—every single one of them stared at Lim Dojun with eyes wide open.
“Y-you have an ability like that?”
“What kind of ridiculous power is that…?”
“It’s not ridiculous. Things like that do exist in Astelgard.”
Among Astelgard’s ancient ruins, some granted mysterious powers that defied understanding.
That was why the major factions continued exploring ancient ruins despite their low efficiency.
The returnees knew this, so they could understand it intellectually, but Lim Dojun drove the point home with a nod.
“I died early in that world, but I happened to enter one of those ancient ruins. This is a kind of superpower I obtained there.”
Even though they understood it with their heads, their emotions refused to calm down.
“That’s… honestly a cheat-level ability.”
“It’s not that amazing. There are many restrictions, and what I can do is extremely limited. Even at full power, the best I can manage right now is bringing over a common bottle of liquor like this.”
Lim Dojun gently shook the bottle, making the liquid slosh inside.
“Would you like to try some? It’s not particularly rare, but since I was invited, I wanted to offer it as a gesture of thanks.”
“O-of course! Not rare? What in the world could possibly be more precious than this?”
The returnees’ attitudes toward Lim Dojun changed completely.
The expensive wines and whiskeys that had been arranged on the banquet table were hastily shoved into a corner, replaced by the Nomad Wind.
There were many people but only one bottle, so each glass received only a small amount. Someone swallowed hard and spoke up.
“Could you maybe give me just one more drop?”
“Then the next person might get less.”
“Director Go seems to have gotten a few more drops than me, doesn’t he?”
“That’s bullshit! I poured them all equally! What are you talking about!”
Go Wonjin clutched his glass and shouted, looking ready to draw his sword if anyone dared touch it.
“I’m pouring it precisely, so please wait just a moment.”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
The proud returnees suddenly behaved like new recruits who had just arrived at boot camp.
They were terrified that talking back might cost them their share of the liquor.
Once every glass had been filled…
“Cheers!”
They clinked their glasses and quietly drank.
“Haaa…”
Go Wonjin, who could have downed the entire glass in one gulp, sipped it in tiny amounts, savoring it over and over.
His eyes gradually grew moist as countless memories and hardships from that time flooded back.
The other returnees were much the same.
“Khhhrk—!”
“Ughhh…”
A few of them let out strange noises before bursting into tears.
The old memories swirled around them like a storm.
A little later, Go Wonjin opened his eyes and looked at Lim Dojun with an awkward expression.
“I… ahem… well…”
Go Wonjin had many nicknames, most of them unflattering.
A madman who drew his sword at the slightest provocation, an uncontrollable son of a bitch, a man you never wanted to meet alone—the list went on.
His skill matched his wild personality, and he had no one to rein him in. Even someone like him found this situation embarrassing.
To think he had blatantly looked down on such a precious person…!
“My name is Lim Dojun. I may look young, but please treat me as your sworn brother.”
“…Is that really okay?”
“Of course.”
It wasn’t difficult for men to grow close.
A good drink and the feeling of being understood were usually enough.
Hadn’t they all experienced that plenty of times in the military?
“Little brother! This narrow-minded and pathetic older brother offers his greetings! I’m Go Wonjin!”
“Just meeting you, Brother Go, already makes coming here worthwhile.”
“Hahaha! Same here. Even if you added up all these worthless bastards, they still wouldn’t be half as good as my little brother!”
Go Wonjin laughed heartily while the other returnees widened their eyes in shock.
“Hey, Director Go. Stop talking nonsense and move aside.”
“I should greet him properly too. Hello. We only exchanged glances earlier, but…”
In an instant, people swarmed around Lim Dojun.
The moment he brought out the Nomad Wind, Lim Dojun had become the star of this alumni gathering.
“Phew. That was exhausting.”
Lim Dojun’s expression was weary as he connected to Astelgard.
He had been warmly welcomed by the alumni association members, drank quite a bit, and spent the entire day listening to their stories.
Most of them had reminisced about the past, shed tears, and poured their hearts out. Listening to that until late into the night had been no easy task.
Still, bringing the Nomad Wind had been a huge success.
He had received a bottle from Olivia and taken it with him, never expecting it to be this effective.
Thanks to that, he had gathered a lot of useful information.
How the returnees were living on Earth, who they had connections with, and what kind of lives they had led in Astelgard.
Brother Go said there isn’t a single region in Astelgard he hasn’t been to… I should meet him again later.
His first impression hadn’t been great, but once they became close, Go Wonjin turned out to be a decent person.
In the end, they had made countless promises to meet again soon.
When Lim Dojun mentioned he would bring a few more items from Astelgard next time, not just Go Wonjin but everyone else suddenly wanted to see him again.
Next time, I should ask about the Ghost Temple.
The Returnee Union was an organization that stuck tightly together, making it difficult to gather information from the outside. But this time, he had blended in nicely.
The beginning had been the hardest part. From now on, it should be easier.
“Um… Jun. I’m sorry. I took up too much of your time, didn’t I…?”
Casian glanced at Lim Dojun nervously from the side.
The two of them were currently returning to the Blue Magic Tower. Casian had kept delaying their return, saying she wanted to examine the surroundings here and there.
Especially yesterday, when she had discovered an area where frostflowers grew naturally. Digging them up had taken an entire day.
Lim Dojun had actually been glad because it coincided with the alumni gathering, but Casian, unaware of that, worried that she had been too excited and inconsiderate.
“Ah, I didn’t mean I was tired because of you, Senior.”
“Really…?”
Casian thought Lim Dojun was incredibly kind.
Can we please stop and go back already!! Please!!!
Should I just collapse? If I collapse, we’ll leave, right?
Those were the usual reactions of the mages who accompanied her.
Someone like Lim Dojun, who said it was fine even if it wasn’t, was extremely rare.
“Thanks to you, I managed to get three frostflowers. They’re really delicate to harvest, so it took all day.”
“I had my own business to take care of, so it really was fine.”
“What business could you possibly have in the mountains… Anyway, thank you. When we get back, I’ll give you all the credit for this mission.”
“If you’re offering, I won’t refuse.”
After that, the two quickly descended the mountain and returned to the tower.
Upon arriving at the Blue Magic Tower, Casian patted Lim Dojun on the shoulder.
“I’ll handle the report, so you go ahead.”
“Shouldn’t the junior be the one doing it?”
“Please. I’m not so shameless that I’d make you do even this.”
Casian said they would meet again later and went off to submit the mission completion report. Lim Dojun headed to see Delcrein.
Knock knock
“Master. I’ve returned.”
He arrived at the branch leader’s office and knocked on the door.
When he entered, he saw Delcrein who appeared busy with paperwork.
“You’re back? Did the mission go well?”
“Yes. The exploration of this ruin went smoothly as well.”
“Hmm…”
Delcrein examined Lim Dojun’s face closely and let out a sigh of admiration.
Mages who returned from ruin exploration missions usually looked half-dead, but Lim Dojun only appeared slightly tired and otherwise fine.
“I see. You didn’t come here just to report that the mission went well, did you? What is it?”
“Your unworthy disciple has reached a decent level of proficiency in low-grade magic.”
In truth, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he had mastered low-grade magic, but Lim Dojun spoke humbly.
Delcrein, knowing this, nodded and pulled a book from his drawer.
“There’s no need for you to open it. Here, take these.”
Blue Magic Tower Intermediate Magic Theory
The Deepening of Magic and Its Applications
Differences Between Antrez-style Magic and Deroblang-style Magic
Books so thick they could probably be used as blunt weapons piled up on the desk.
“Intermediate magic is completely different in nature from low-grade magic. Only after mastering all of these can you truly say you’ve entered the intermediate magic curriculum of our tower. No matter how much of a genius you are, it will take you at least half a year.”
“I see.”
Lim Dojun carefully gauged the thickness of the books.
Hmm. Can I finish these in a single day?