The Return Home
Kim Min-chul stared at the magic circle before him. “So it’s finally complete.”
The intricate geometric patterns were filled with dizzying equations that made his head spin just looking at them. One hundred and ten years had passed since he crossed over to this world. At last, it was time to return home.
“Are you leaving, sir?” Kang Min-seob stood beside him, his muscular frame tense, his expression conflicted. He glared at the magic circle as if it were an enemy.
“Do you really have to go?”
“Why else would I have built this thing? You didn’t think I made it for decoration, did you?”
The joke was in poor taste. The magic stones and orichalcum poured into this circle alone were worth the entire national budget of South Korea. It had taken an enormous amount of effort and time to complete. Dozens of SS-rank magic hunters had helped construct this dimensional transfer circle. It would require a vast quantity of mana to cross dimensions, but…
I can supply that much on my own, no problem.
After thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of calculations, he had reached his conclusion. It was possible. The fact that a single individual could provide enough mana for a dimensional crossing spell was proof enough of what kind of monster he had become.
“Sir, you’ve already been here for 110 years. You’ve accomplished everything there is to accomplish in this world. You know that.”
“I do.”
“You’re a global superstar now. With your wealth, influence, and the way women flock to you with just a smile, why would you—”
“Min-seob.”
Kang Min-seob. The SSS-rank hunter who represented South Korea. They had known each other for sixty years already. The boy who had once been so small had grown into this hulking mass of muscle. It was almost grotesque.
“Women don’t like clingy men. That’s probably why you and Yeseul broke up.”
“……Cough.”
He coughed up blood. Even an ogre’s full-power punch wouldn’t have fazed his godlike physique, yet now it trembled. This wasn’t a physical attack. It was psychological warfare. An SSS-rank psychological attack, at that.
“Sir…… why would you suddenly say something like that? That was already……”
“Twenty years ago. And you still look at Yeseul with that longing in your eyes? Why don’t you just ask her out again?”
“How could I possibly do that? I disappointed her. I can’t……”
“Hmm, is that so?”
What a joke. This dense bear of a man.
Yeseul had never married after their breakup. For twenty years she had ignored every suitor who came her way and remained single. It was obvious she was waiting for Kang Min-seob.
Idiot. What’s the point of becoming a hunter and living a long life if your emotional intelligence never improves?
Someone ought to lock him in a room and feed him nothing but garlic until he became a proper human being. This hopeless bear of a man had never finished becoming one.
“Besides, I’ve already achieved most of what I wanted over there too. I told you.”
“You said you were a count, correct?”
“That’s right.”
A count. A fairly high-ranking noble title. Even if he received slightly less than what he had built here, it would still be more than enough to live comfortably once he returned.
“I just want to rest now.”
Ever since arriving in this world, he had run without rest. First to survive, then to protect the things he cared about. He had killed, fought, killed again, fought again. Slaying monsters had been easy. The real nuisance had been hunters from other countries—especially China. They picked fights over every little thing, constantly nitpicking and complaining. While other nations left him alone, they strutted around acting like the great power they supposedly were. It was truly disgusting.
So he had…… roughly halved them? Ah, not the country itself, of course—just half their hunters. They had tried to frame him as a traitor and kill him, so he had made an example of them. After that, no one dared provoke him again.
“You’ve worked so hard, sir.”
“Enough. I’ve done everything I needed to do. I’m going back.”
One hundred and ten years had passed since he fell from his original world into this one—into South Korea. Whether it was because he had awakened as a hunter here or because he belonged to a different world entirely, Kim Min-chul had not aged a single day since that time. Even past the age of 110, he still possessed the youth of a twenty-year-old.
An EX-rank hunter who stood at the pinnacle of the world, possessing wealth, power, and influence beyond measure—yet a hollow space had always remained in his heart. Since coming here, he had thought of his family constantly. At first, survival had taken priority and the longing had been buried, but once he secured his position and grew stronger, the yearning became unbearable.
He wanted to see his parents. How much had his newborn sibling grown by now? He was curious. When that child was born, he had promised his parents he would protect them. That he would be the most reliable older brother anyone could ask for.
“Sir, I know this is incredibly rude of me to say, but the flow of time between the two dimensions may be different. It’s already been 110 years……”
“Stop.”
Min-chul’s eyes flashed sharply. The moment his gaze turned cold, the world darkened and a chilling killing intent began to spread. Kang Min-seob flinched, his entire body trembling. Even he could not withstand the bloodlust radiating from an EX-rank hunter standing at the summit of the world. It pierced through him, squeezing his heart.
“Don’t cross that line. No matter how much I care about you as a younger brother, talking about my family is off-limits.”
“……I’m sorry. I forgot that was your trigger.”
He deliberately phrased it as a joke to lighten the mood. Min-chul had no intention of pushing further and withdrew his killing intent.
“Anyway, I’m going back.”
“……If your resolve is this firm, then I can no longer stop you.”
Min-chul smiled and poured mana into the magic circle. A brilliant light erupted from it, swallowing the sky. A massive magic circle composed of geometric characters and equations spread across the heavens, large enough to be seen from anywhere in the world.
“Well then.”
Min-chul gave Kang Min-seob a thumbs-up.
“I’m off.”
Flash!!
A radiant light burst from the magic circle covering the sky and swallowed Min-chul whole. Kim Min-chul, the EX-rank hunter who had stood at the pinnacle of the world, returned to his homeland.
“What do you mean!? You want a raise!?”
“Why not? Is that a problem, Lady Elena?”
“That’s absurd!”
In the lord’s office, a man in leather armor stood with his legs apart while a beautiful woman faced him. Her skin was like white jade, her hair straight and pale as fresh snow, her nose elegantly defined, and her eyes deep as amethysts. Simply looking at her felt like eye purification—a living, breathing medical device.
Her lovely face creased with irritation. “It hasn’t even been a month since I raised your wages. And now you’re already……”
“Is there a reason I can’t have one? If not, we can always leave.”
The man’s attitude toward Elena was outright disrespectful. He knew full well that she couldn’t do anything about it even if he acted this way. Any other noble would have had his head for such insolence. But Elena couldn’t.
“Leave? If you all leave, this territory—”
“That’s exactly why you should give us a raise, isn’t it? Well~ no need to decide right away. I’ll give you some time~. Please give us your answer by the end of this week.”
He left with a smirk. Furious, Elena nearly hurled the quill in her hand but barely restrained herself.
Do you know how expensive these quills are…… If I throw it—
Throwing it would be a loss. She already had to cut every possible expense.
A sigh escaped her. “How am I supposed to raise wages again……”
Arrogant bastard. Even knowing she was a noble, his rudeness was unbearable. But circumstances forced her to endure it.
“If only it weren’t for the monsters……. I have to endure for the sake of protecting the territory……”
She let out a long sigh and gazed out the window. Beyond it loomed an overwhelmingly massive mountain range. A vast sea of trees that radiated the grandeur of nature itself. Yet despite its majestic appearance, the real problem was that it was a monster habitat.
“Monster Land……”
Elena muttered the name with hatred and resentment, as if reciting the name of her parents’ murderer. Monster Land. A place literally called the paradise of monsters. Numerous nobles and royals had attempted to subjugate it. Countless hidden resources still lay buried within. Human greed knew no bounds. Many had challenged the unknown in hopes of claiming those resources, only to fail. Defeating monsters was easy enough, but……
The problem is that there’s no end to them.
Eventually, the endless waves of monsters overwhelmed every subjugation force. In the end, it became a place no human dared approach. And Elena’s territory lay dangerously close to Monster Land.
“Haa……”
Another sigh. Because of its proximity, monsters frequently descended from the mountains to attack. At least once a week, sometimes as often as three times. The walls defending the territory were on the verge of collapse from constant assaults. Repairs were ongoing, but……
There’s a limit to repairs……. Eventually we’ll have to tear them down and rebuild……
“Where am I supposed to get that kind of money……”
She had none. The territory had no notable specialty products either. In the past, selling monster corpses had brought in income, but even that had become difficult over time. Elena was at her wit’s end.
“What’s the point of selling monster corpses when it all goes straight to the knights’ wages……”
On top of that, the territory’s residents had no real source of income, making tax collection nearly impossible. She had barely managed to hold on until now, but the funds she had stockpiled were running dry. And the knights kept demanding raises at every opportunity.
Another sigh, heavy with frustration and resentment.
“I can’t even fire them……”
She couldn’t dismiss the knights. Without them, there would be no one to stop the monsters. The moment they left, the territory’s defensive power would vanish, and the monsters would destroy everything. They knew this, which was why they behaved so arrogantly.
“Father…… Mother…… I’m so tired……”
Elena slumped over her desk. She wanted to abandon this wretched territory immediately, but she had made a promise to her parents. For the sake of the brother who would one day return, she had sworn never to abandon it.
“How is that missing brother of mine supposed to come back……. And even if he did…… I can’t ignore Mother and Father’s will…… Haa……”
She felt like sighing forever. If not for their will…… But she had no intention of ignoring it. She had sworn to uphold it.
“Brother, huh……. It would actually be inconvenient if he came back now. We have no money, no food……”
Elena gave a bitter, almost tearful smile.
“There’s no way the brother who disappeared ten years ago is coming back…… So why did the two of you……”
Her face grew sorrowful.
“Why…… am I still waiting too……”
It was a mystery. Then—
“My lady!!”
The butler burst into the office in a panic.
“Hans? What’s wrong?”
“It’s terrible! Monsters are attacking right now!”
“Monsters? Just send the knights. Why are you—”
“I-I would, but…… the knights have gone on strike!”
“……”
“They say they won’t fight unless you raise their wages!”
Elena collapsed into her chair. It felt like being struck in the head with a sledgehammer. They had demanded an answer by the end of the week, and now this. She knew exactly why they were doing it.
They’re protesting. Showing me what will happen without them……
It was both a lesson and a warning. They wanted to use their position to control her, a noble, however they pleased.
Grind. Her teeth clenched.
“M-My lady, w-what do we do……. The monsters……”
“We have no choice.”
Elena took down the sword hanging on the wall. It was the blade her father had used, still well-maintained and sharp. It would be enough to cut down monsters.
“M-My lady, surely you don’t mean—!?”
“I’ve received some training too! I can handle goblins on my own.”
With venomous determination in her eyes, she strode out of the office. Hans failed to stop her as she stormed away, no longer willing to endure.
“It’s not goblins…… It’s orcs……”
Deep in the basement of the lord’s mansion, light began to emanate from a dusty magic circle in an unused room. In an instant—
Flash!
Light exploded outward as if a flashbang had detonated.
“Hoo.”
When the light faded, a man stood there. He looked around. An unfamiliar space covered in dust. As he scuffed the floor with his shoe, a magic circle etched with geometric characters and equations came into view. Seeing it, the man smiled.
“I’m back.”
Kim Min-chul grinned, baring his teeth. He had finally returned home.
“This was the room, wasn’t it? The place where I accidentally touched the magic circle……”
This was where everything began. He had touched the circle by mistake and been sent to the other world. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have gone through all that hardship. Still……
It wasn’t all bad. I gained experience and power because of it.
“Well then.”
Min-chul smiled with anticipation.
“Time to go meet my lovely family.”
The absolute being once called the strongest in the world, the hero of the world—Kim Min-chul—had returned home.