Unintended Homecoming
Imagine a Korean guy, Mr. A, who's been living on some island in the Pacific for ten years. One day, while fishing on a raft borrowed from the locals as usual, he gets caught in a sudden gale and drifts away. When he comes to, he's on a strange island. As he explores, he encounters what seems to be a native of the island. And that native speaks fluent Korean: "Where are you from?" What would Mr. A's first reaction be? Surprise? Joy? I think it'd be fear for me.
Drifting from a Pacific island to Korea is next to impossible. So where the hell am I that this native is speaking Korean? That's how I feel right now. Hearing Korean after 200 years felt so alien and terrifying to me.
"Hey!!"
"Uh, wha?"
Lost in my thoughts, a woman had snuck up and grabbed my wrist.
"When are the others coming?"
"...Who...?"
"The rest of the rescue team!!"
"I'm... not with the rescue team?"
".......Pardon?"
The Korean tumbling out of my mouth after so long felt incredibly awkward. Well, duh—it's been 200 years. No wonder.
I must've looked like a total idiot because the woman was staring at me up and down, her face suddenly paling as she started to panic.
"Um, the Management Bureau? No, wait—you're not a hunter, are you?"
"...No, I'm not?"
"......"
Thud—she collapsed to the ground like a doll with its strings cut.
"...Haha..."
She started giggling to herself, staring at the dirt. What the hell is wrong with this chick all of a sudden?
Awoooooooo——————!!!
A wolf's howl pierced my eardrums. I whipped my head toward the sound and saw two men, covered in blood, facing off against a bipedal wolf monster with longswords and spears at the ready.
"B-bro!! Where's the rescue team?! When are they coming?!"
"Snap out of it, you idiot!! Fuck, if we get out alive, I'm suing that bastard Na Dae-seong first!!"
Behind them, one guy was already down—didn't look dead, but he was in rough shape. Things were dire; total wipeout wouldn't be surprising at this rate. From what I could tell, these were adventurers who'd taken a request from the Adventurer's Guild, hunting in a dungeon when they bit off more than they could chew with a monster stronger than expected...
I got that the teleport magic had gone wrong... but why were these people speaking Korean instead of the imperial tongue? Time to find out.
I turned to the woman sitting there blankly staring at the ground. "Excuse me? Where are we?"
She ignored me, muttering, "I should've just listened to Dad and become a certified hunter..."
Tsk, she's completely lost it mentally...
Fine, if I deal with that wolf, she'll snap out of it and answer my questions, right? It's been ages since I fought without Laurus, but a monster like that? Basic body enhancement magic should do the trick.
I started some light stretches to avoid straining any old wounds. The woman who'd been thrown earlier eyed me weirdly.
"......What are you doing?"
"Huh? Oh, just warming up."
I stepped past her, rolled my shoulders with a series of cracks, picked up a nearby pebble, and hurled it at the wolf-type monster—whoosh!
Yelp—!
It was a solid hit; the thing screeched like a kicked dog. Damn, I aimed for the head... but half its left shoulder exploded instead.
"Tch, missed."
"Wh-wha?!?!"
The downed woman alternated stares between me and the monster. Even the guys facing it off in the distance finally glanced our way.
I extended a hand to her. "Hey."
"Y-yes, ma'am!!!"
"Could you gather some nearby pebbles? My aim sucks, so I'll need a lot of practice."
"O-okay!!"
She bit her tongue. Must hurt.
# Dog Days of Stone Slings... nah, the wolf-type monster ended up cold and riddled with holes. Anyone seeing it might think I'd toyed with it cruelly, but I tried to one-shot it as much as possible. Should've just gone up close and bashed it...
This ordeal taught me I have zero talent for throwing.
With things settled, the burliest guy approached, bowing at a perfect 90 degrees. "Thank you so much! We all survived thanks to you!"
Whoa... a big dude like that bowing feels kinda heavy. I'd thought I was used to this kinda treatment since becoming the Archwitch, but apparently not.
I gave a wry smile and a casual wave like no biggie, and he straightened up.
"No other guildmates? We'd like to thank them too..."
"Nah, it's just me."
"Haha! Incredible. To solo roam a C-rank dungeon like this!"
C-rank dungeon? Wait, more importantly—what's this about guilds and management bureaus? These two kept spouting terms straight out of a webnovel.
Come to think of it, they didn't look like folks from Nihilum—no, Triia. Typical East Asian features. And they're speaking Korean, so... Koreans? Like me, did they cross over to this world?
Not impossible. My mentor said the 'rift in space-time' is pure chaos, like a massive storm. Things get sucked in sometimes, most disintegrate failing to endure it. But at infinitesimal odds, some make it to another dimension unscathed. Probably me and these guys.
Though I got gender-bent in the process.
"Oppa! Got the materials."
"Oh, good work. How's Myeong-jun?"
"Still unconscious, but he'll live. Let's get him to a hospital ASAP..."
"Right. I'll carry Myeong-jun. Let's head out. What about you, miss? We're from 'Seoul'—if you're headed that way, we can give you a ride."
"Oh, perfect. My family's in Incheon, actually...?"
"Something wrong?"
It flowed so naturally I answered without thinking. Did I hear that right? Seoul? Did he just say Seoul?
"Um, excuse me! C-can I ask one thing?"
"? Sure, go ahead."
"Wh-where... exactly is this place?"
"Pardon?"
The guy looked at me like I'd asked something ridiculous, then answered. "Gangneung C-rank Dungeon... right?"
"Gangneung? Gangwon Province Gangneung?"
"Yeah, Gangneung in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province."
Gangwon Special... what? What's that?
"This is... Korea...?"
"Korea...? Yeah?"
His answer turned the blood in my head ice-cold. Korea—my homeland where I'd lived 22 years as a man, thinking I'd never return. They hadn't crossed over; I had.
The teleport spell got tainted with black mana. That's the only explanation.
But back on Earth just like that? I succeeded at dimensional travel when even my mentor couldn't. Normally I'd be all, That's me, Rose Crimson, the Archwitch! But no such thoughts now.
Should be thrilled at returning after so long, but my first worry was whether I could go back.
22 years on Earth. 200 in Triia. If those 22 years were my roots, the 200 in Triia... overshadowed them, became another me.
Not that all 200 years were great. Mentor's training was hell, Witch Academy classes mind-bending. The crown prince's gross proposal, friends turning to cold corpses overnight. Way more suffering than Earth life.
But precious bonds formed too. Too many in that world to leave behind.
I'm no longer Korean man Yu I-kwon. I'm Nihilum's Archwitch Rose Crimson.
Lost in thought, the guy eyed me like I was weird. The woman who'd overheard suddenly yanked his arm.
"Oppa, hold on."
She told me, "We need to talk privately for a sec—mind if I borrow him?" and bowed before dragging him aside.
In the corner, she gestured for him to lean in and whispered. He glanced at me, then muttered back, "Nah, no way. She looks normal—too normal for a 'Returner.'"
Returner? What the fuck is that, you weebs!!!
Ah! Not the time. Gotta find a way back to Triia first. No clue how long it'll take, but till then, stuck on Earth...
Right, money! In Korea, cash is king—the more, the better. No Adventurer's Guild here, no monsters? How to earn?
Job hunt? 200 years later, I'm legally dead—illegal immigrant now...
Wait. I turned to the massive, hole-riddled corpse of the 3-meter-plus wolf.
That's a monster, plain as day. Why are there monsters on Earth?
The pair finished talking; the guy approached cautiously. "Um, where are you from? You mentioned Incheon earlier..."
"Oh, uh... Incheon? Sorta! My home was there, but 200 years ago... might not exist now... Haha, sounds crazy, right? Could you just guide me to the entrance? I'll handle the rest..."
I babbled; his reaction was odd. Eyes bulging like he'd found treasure, then squeezing shut, pinching his nose in confusion. Finally, sad pity for some poor soul.
"......I think you should come with us."
"Huh? No, just the entrance..."
"We'll explain on the way. And... really... you've been through a lot."
"......?"
What?