Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Returnee Residential Area
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Having finished all the procedures, Silberion got into a car heading to the Returnee residential area.
He had just learned that there was a separate district for gathering Returnees, but he could understand it.
'They need to slowly acclimate Returnees to society.'
People who had grown accustomed to another world would inevitably struggle to adapt to reality.
And if any incidents broke out because of that, public opinion on Returnees would steadily worsen.
That was why socializing them into society was the right call.
'Kartimela, was it? There probably aren't many other special cases like her.'
The Association staff must be tearing their hair out over it.
At least Korea was an advanced nation in terms of Hunters, so they could maintain some control. If it were a developing or backward country, even that would have been impossible.
"We've arrived."
Choi Yunha announced their arrival as the car came to a stop.
Stepping out, he was greeted by a stunning view of neat houses stretching out in rows, beautiful enough to call a scenic wonder.
It seemed they had put thought into the aesthetics as well.
"The place for you to stay, Silberion, is Building 7."
"A house, huh. I always dreamed of owning one with a yard."
Abandoned by his parents as a child, he had grown up without a family.
He had lived washing with cold water, shivering from cold and hunger, but he had one dream.
To have a home of his own.
And now, he could finally make it come true.
"If you need anything or have any business, just contact us on this phone."
She pulled a smartphone from her pocket and handed it to Silberion.
Silberion took the phone and fiddled with it here and there.
'...This is going to take quite a while to get used to.'
He hadn't forgotten the concept of a smartphone, but relearning how to use it would still take time.
"Then I'll be going now."
"Alright, take care."
Silberion watched her car until it disappeared into the distance.
Afterward, he tinkered with the smartphone as he entered the housing complex.
It was less a housing complex and more like a cluster of penthouses.
You could think of it as high-rise top floors converted into house forms, complete with yards.
"Building 7... this must be it."
There were ten residences in total, but none were ordinary.
One house was overgrown with vines and bushes, turned into a jungle.
Another had been remodeled into a massive forge.
And the rest were decorated in all sorts of ways by their Returnee owners, making him wonder if this was really allowed.
'...They're providing this level of convenience, huh.'
Silberion now understood why Choi Yunha hadn't escorted him all the way home.
It was a silent show of what they could offer.
Click.
He opened the door to Building 7 and stepped into the yard.
The yard was just the right size for raising several dogs.
Big enough that you wouldn't even need to take them for walks.
'The house itself is well-maintained too.'
Once inside, he wandered around checking for any defects.
But there were none at all.
'Doesn't seem like they've tampered with anything.'
In web novels, they always pulled some scheme on Returnees to ruin a good thing.
Fortunately, these people didn't seem like that type.
'Guess I'll catch some sleep first.'
He hadn't gotten proper rest while tearing apart demons in that hellish world.
His body didn't need sleep, but from a mental standpoint, getting enough was still best.
Even with power transcending humanity, Silberion resolved to keep a human heart.
He didn't want to stop being human.
His core identity was that he was human.
He opened the bedroom door, removed his armor and stored it in his subspace.
Having spent long years there, his subspace was filled with items, but there was plenty of room for one suit of armor.
Hidden within the armor was a man with snow-white hair and red eyes.
Silberion changed into casual clothes and dove straight into bed.
Right now, nothing was more welcome than sleep.
He didn't want anyone disturbing him.
He woke up two days after falling asleep.
'...Now I finally feel human again.'
Even if he seemed fine on the surface, mental damage had built up unnoticed.
But just this proper rest satisfied Silberion.
His body far surpassed human limits, after all.
'Should I cook at home? Or order delivery...'
Ten years had passed, but delivery apps were still delivery apps.
No issues using them, aside from slightly higher delivery fees.
As he was about to order something simple,
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang.
'...I didn't order anything, so it can't be food.'
Silberion headed straight downstairs and opened the door.
Standing there were two figures... or rather, he wasn't sure if he should call them people.
One was a dwarf-like man covered in a bushy beard the size of a child, and the other was an elf with pointed ears adorned in all sorts of grass-made jewelry.
"Oh! What did I tell you? I said we'd meet today, right?"
"If you hadn't been hammering away so much, we might've met yesterday."
'A dwarf and an elf?'
The elf with long golden-blonde hair and the dwarf with a red beard chatted with each other.
"...Who are you two?"
"Ah, we forgot to introduce ourselves. We heard a new Returnee moved in next door and came to say hi. Wouldn't it be nice to get along among ourselves?"
"He's right. It's been ages since someone new moved in next door."
"......"
It seemed they had visited yesterday too, but he had been fast asleep then.
"Is that all?"
"Nah, not quite. We were thinking of heading into the city for once and wanted you to come along. What do you say? Up for it?"
The elf crossed her arms and tilted her head.
'...The city.'
He hadn't adapted yet, so experiencing it firsthand to adjust quickly wasn't a bad idea.
He had no urgent matters to handle right now anyway.
"Sure. Let's go together."
"Good choice. One is better than none, and three is better than two, right?"
The elf flashed a smile and extended her hand.
"I'm Selenne Partisan. This is Grommel. And you?"
"Silberion. Silberion Benedir."
It had been ages since he last spoke his full name in response to someone.
Demons didn't count.
They called him the demon of demons.
"Alright, let's go. I'll show you how precious modern civilization is."
The Returnee residential area was inside Seoul, so stepping outside let them enjoy the city and its entertainments.
The three took a car out of the residential area and entered the city proper.
The city was incredibly peaceful.
'They said only Seoul and a few major regional cities barely held on.'
A massive wall loomed in the distance.
It seemed to serve as a barrier blocking external gates and magic beasts.
"Gates inside Seoul can be intensively managed, but we can't cover every inch of land."
"......"
"That's why we built this wall and salvaged what we could. It wasn't a situation where we could do everything perfectly. Even Seoul is divided into 30 districts. Each one is strictly managed."
Selenne, at the wheel, started explaining.
She continued, matching what Silberion observed.
The lower the single-digit district number, the stricter the management; higher numbers meant lower priority.
"...So only certain cities survived?"
"Mm. I heard roughly only the metropolitan cities made it. I don't know details since I've never left Seoul."
"Never been outside Seoul?"
"Yeah. Outside is dangerous. Not all Returnees are combat-specialized anyway."
Fair enough. Everyone had their own circumstances.
He decided not to pry further.
For now, it was time to enjoy his changed hometown.
They first had a light meal at Selenne and Grommel's favorite restaurant.
The most surprising was Selenne, who picked out only the meat to eat.
And Grommel, a dwarf, didn't touch alcohol and only nibbled at vegetables.
"......"
Watching the two with such contrasting eating habits, Silberion began his meal as well.
The menu was, naturally, Korean food.
This time, he ordered doenjang jjigae.
The stew, rice, and several side dishes came out, making it fun to pick and choose.
The three finished their light meal and had after-meal coffee as well.
"This place sells all kinds of food, so it's famous among Returnees. Memorize it; you'll come often."
"...I see. But as an elf, is it okay to eat meat?"
The elves in Silberion's world lived on dew and leaves instead of meat.
Eating meat was something dark elves would do.
"Oh, that? Before returning, I lived like that too, but..."
She trailed off, hesitating to continue.
"...One day, I accidentally ate meat, and my tastes completely changed."
"......"
So, after living as an extreme vegan, one accidental taste of delicious meat made her abandon it?
Not common, but definitely possible.
"And Grommel didn't drink beer and only ate veggies. Any special reason?"
"He couldn't handle alcohol even before transferring to the other world. Plus, as a blacksmith, he picked up all sorts of ailments, so now he's managing his health."
"Ahem. Can't be helped."
Selenne explained, and Grommel cleared his throat right after.
"...I see. So, where to next?"
"How about karaoke or an arcade? Great places to get a full dopamine hit."
Karaoke, arcade.
Terms he hadn't heard in ages.
Which made him want to go even more.
"Sure, let's do that. You two know this world better than I do right now."
He acknowledged what needed acknowledging.
Having just returned, he knew nothing, so the only way was to follow them around and learn.