Chapter 1. Return.
Chapter 1. Return.
[ Unverified... ]
I was finally back.
Strangely, I didn't feel anything when I returned.
It was a goal I always knew I'd reach eventually, as long as I kept pushing toward it.
This world—Korea. For a full day after my return, I did absolutely nothing but sleep.
The first truly restful sleep I'd had in... what? Years? No, centuries.
Over there, whether it was monsters or people, I could never let my guard down enough to sleep easily.
The rent-deposit loan was still hanging over me, but my six-pyeong officetel felt like a nest—it was here that I truly felt I had returned.
I had lived in places far more luxurious than this. A palace with a grand chandelier and massive doors.
But now, none of that mattered.
Back on Titan, to keep my sanity, I had written down all the things I would do if I ever made it back to Earth. I thought about that list now.
Everyone does that in basic training, right? Making lists of what you'll eat when you get out?
I'd done the same thing, just to keep my mind together. But as my Realm rose, I shed my old self and reforged my body over and over. I shed my human frame, yet my ego—my sense of "self"—only grew stronger.
First, I checked my body.
In those novels, the protagonist always loses his powers on the way back. I never even considered that a possibility.
Well, I had used the continent's divine artifacts to bore a dimensional passage open, so I was relieved. A dimension is not something you can simply punch a hole through.
At any rate, this power is the proof of my struggle—the trail of footprints I left to get home.
Even if I hadn't borrowed the power of the continent's divine artifacts and had instead used my own Origin Essence to tear a passage through dimensions, I probably would have found another way eventually.
Of course, I spent a great deal of mana to endure the dimensional shift. But having reached a Realm beyond the human frame, I was no longer confined to merely storing mana in my heart alone.
Flowing water refills no matter how much you draw from it.
And now.
I turned on the laptop sitting on my desk, the same one I'd used since my college days.
I needed to check how much time had passed since I was transported to the planet Titan—and now.
And there would be procedures to resolve my identity if I had been listed as missing.
Not to mention, the whole issue with the company was a huge headache.
To be honest, the people of Disaster had shoved all sorts of things into my hands when I left Titan, so...
Money was hardly my biggest concern.
Luckily, I had a habit of leaving my laptop plugged in and powered on almost constantly, so the battery hadn't died.
But I couldn't help but be shocked.
"Only about two months have passed...?"
Unless I was insane, I remembered the moment just before the transition with perfect clarity.
Other, trivial memories were blurry, but this one I could never forget.
The beginning of it all—when I started surviving by dancing on the knife's edge between life and death.
I'd spent roughly 900 years on that planet. I expected at least nine years to have passed here.
I checked my phone, which was still charging.
Same as the laptop—the moment I got home, my phone went straight onto the charger.
Fortunately, before the transition I had placed it on the desk instead of leaving it in my pocket, so it was safe.
"What the hell happened..."
Countless disaster alerts. And missed calls from the few friends I had—or at least, the ones I used to have.
Safety Alert
[Seoul Metropolitan City] A severe violent demonstration has occurred today in Seocho-dong. The participants are indiscriminately biting passersby; citizens are advised to...
Safety Alert
[Ministry of the Interior and Safety] Nationwide indiscriminate acts of terrorism are in progress. Citizens are advised to remain safely indoors; unknown outsiders should not be...
Safety Alert
[Ministry of the Interior and Safety] Infections from an unidentified virus are currently surging. Evacuate to a safe location immediately. Avoid visits and contact with strangers...
Safety Alert
[Ministry of the Interior and Safety] The unidentified virus causes the eyes to turn red. The infected lose all reason and will indiscriminately bite any nearby life form...
"What the...? What the hell is going on?"
Only then did my gaze turn toward the window.
Cars smashed into walls and streetlamps. Cars flipped upside down. And the most shocking thing...
Red eyes. Limp, dangling arms.
Hair matted and tangled in wild disarray. Horrifying wounds that couldn't possibly belong to anything still alive...
My eyes went back to the laptop.
Unfortunately, in a disaster like this, the internet was bound to be cut. It wouldn't connect.
The one saving grace was that it had been charging until the power went out.
If I hadn't even charged it, and I couldn't get any information at all, I would've been completely at a loss.
I turned toward the front door.
"If it's only been two months, the newspapers from a month ago should still be here."
Before the transition, I had absorbed every scrap of knowledge I could, and I'd even subscribed to the newspaper for the economy section.
Luckily, a pile of month-old newspapers had accumulated at the front door.
Unknown Virus... KDCA Activates 'Emergency Quarantine System'.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has decided to implement an emergency quarantine system due to an unprecedented virus. With the system active, the KDCA and national health agencies will overhaul the reporting network and maintain a 24-hour emergency contact line...
Citizens Using Supernatural Powers... Government warns: 'In this situation, disorder will only heighten public fear and anxiety.'
Amid the strange viral phenomenon, a large number of people are claiming to have supernatural abilities. However, live demonstrations on YouTube streams have sparked manipulation controversies...
At the G7 Summit, the epidemic was designated the 'Zombie Virus'; a global state of emergency has been declared.
What was commonly seen in films—'zombies'—has now appeared in reality. This global virus is the first of its kind since COVID-19, and at the summit, leaders urged citizens worldwide to "conserve food and water, hold out, or evacuate to the nearest shelter. Do not open your door to visitors..."
Government Issues 'Wartime Summons for Awakened Individuals Gaining Special Abilities.'
The current government has announced a policy to summon Awakened individuals with special abilities under this national crisis caused by the 'Zombie Virus'...
"Heh... I busted my ass to get back, only to find the world had gone completely to shit. In this goddamn awful situation, was I really supposed to be satisfied just because I'd made it home?"
A self-mocking laugh escaped me as I thought about my next steps.
"Awakened... is this something like the knights and mages from Titan?"
Wait. Now that I thought about it, I definitely heard something when I returned.
[ User has identified the System. ]
"So this is what creates the supernatural powers written about in the article?"
I felt energy flowing toward my heart, but I didn't block it and simply let it pass.
It wasn't harmful energy. And even if it were, I could just push it out with my own aura.
[ Abnormality detected! Due to the user's Realm, a complete Status Window cannot be displayed. ]
[ The user may still use the Status Window. ]
<< Status Window >>
Name : Cheon Sihu
Class : ■■■
- Stats -
[Vitality - ■■■ ]
[Strength - ■■■ ]
[Agility - ■■■ ]
[Mana - ■■■ ]
Stat Points - ■■■
- Traits -
[ Hollow Spirit Body - LV. ■■■ ]
[ End of the Sword - LV. ■■■ ]
[ Master of Mana - LV. ■■■ ]
- Skills -
[ ]
"Hmm... so it can't identify precise, concrete abilities."
Well then, let's form a plan.
First, the immediate need: food.
If I'm honest, with my strength, I could be a massive help in reclaiming the country.
If my immediate surroundings were in danger, I would use my power. But I wasn't about to step up and declare myself a "hero."
I had already been crushed more than enough under the weight of that word—"hero."
"The world's gone to hell, but even so, I should pursue my own kind of happiness."
In a world like this, a weapon was essential.
At my Realm, I didn't strictly need a weapon. But it was more convenient to have one, so I always carried one with me.
And outwardly walking around armed helped avoid pointless trouble.
Thinking that, I unfolded a formula using mana.
"Open Subspace."
From my pocket space, I drew Nameless—the blade with the black sword-spirit that I had always carried with me in the other world.
[ Skill "Subspace" has been acquired. ]
"Hm? A skill appeared?"
So that's how it is... it seems to register skills I use each time.
Now I was getting curious about the other Awakened.
As far as I knew, Earth had no techniques for manipulating mana or internal energy.
But the article clearly said Awakened individuals had emerged.
"Then will this register too?"
I took a slightly unusual stance, loosened my strength, and smoothly swung Nameless from left to right, using only the pure form of the swordsmanship.
[ Trait "Chaos Swordsmanship" has been acquired. ]
"Didn't actually expect that to work... Anyway, this isn't the time."
That aside, could the other Awakened be people who crossed over from Titan like me?
It wasn't as if the thought had never crossed my mind while I was on Titan.
I had scoured the entire continent, hunting like a rat-catcher, wondering if there might be anyone else who had come from the same "Earth" as me.
But they must not have survived, or perhaps I was the only one who had ever been transported to Titan.
'But that doesn't matter now. What matters is that I am here.'
And so, a day after returning to Earth, I stepped outside.