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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Back to Reality
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That darkness, which had inspired awe in all the demons.
Stepping into it, the Sword Demon couldn't hold back the surge of emotions.
"Ah, right... I'd forgotten... who I really am."
It had been forty years ago, after all, and so much had happened since then that it was only natural for those memories to have faded from his mind.
This horrific hole.
'It was forty years ago.'
The first time the Sword Demon had entered this space filled only with darkness.
At the playground in Changsin Apartment.
The thirteen-year-old Sword Demon, playing there, was swallowed up by this darkness.
And at the end of that darkness, it mercilessly hurled the thirteen-year-old into a strange world called the Central Plains.
But it had turned out all right.
Even though he was an orphan, a crybaby thrown into the world alone without parents, there were people who took him in.
They were the family living in the slum beneath Hwayangjeok Pier Church.
True to their life in the slums, they scraped by day after day in hardship, yet they took in the young Sword Demon and never complained once, even with an extra mouth to feed.
To the Sword Demon, they were his true family.
Even after living nearly fifty years, he had never once forgotten their faces, etched forever in a corner of his heart.
But those very people had all been slaughtered before his eyes by the Heavenly Demon Cult, a group of demons.
He had staked his life to fight them, but the Sword Demon, who hadn't even learned basic third-rate martial arts, couldn't stand against even a single lowly demon soldier.
And so, he had been forced to watch as his entire family was brutally murdered right in front of him.
Grip.
But to him, they were family itself.
After holding their funeral, the Sword Demon didn't hesitate and headed straight for the gates of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
With their faces and the name Gyeok Jong-du etched in his heart.
And in the end.
After enduring over thirty years of horrific training and cultivation, and obtaining a manual buried in Mahyeon-dong, he had succeeded in his revenge.
By severing the head of Gyeok Jong-du, who had been the Demon Head back then and was now the Blade Demon, vice leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
"Haa..."
Now, having succeeded in his revenge, with no more purpose in life.
Only then did the dusty box of memories open.
Who he had originally been.
And where he had originally come from.
He walked on through this space filled only with darkness, just like the thirteen-year-old Sword Demon he once was.
Now, having lost everything and achieved everything.
Seeking to reconnect with those severed memories and himself, he kept walking.
And then, just like in his memories, a brilliant light burst forth, engulfing the Sword Demon's body.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Is this it?"
Memories from his thirteen-year-old childhood.
But the landscape unfolding before his eyes after passing through the light instantly shattered all the common sense of the Central Plains he had lived in for over forty years.
"Haa..."
A deep sigh escaped him without realizing it.
It felt like a great war of righteousness and demons was raging in his head.
The common sense of the Central Plains versus the common sense of the reality he had once lived in.
They clashed and shattered like they were fighting, gifting him a throbbing headache as if trying to make him understand.
He shook his head vigorously, driving away all the pain.
And the victor was none other than the memories of 'reality'.
"It feels like I had a dream. A terribly horrific one."
The sorrow of losing his family, the self-reproach that he had to grow stronger, the burning desire to become strong.
And finally, the refreshing sense of fulfilling the dream he had chased his whole life, followed by the ensuing horrific loneliness.
No nightmare could be this vicious, enough to make him want to die.
An unrealistic scene from reality, nowhere to be found in the Central Plains.
Not even movies could evoke such a feeling.
A dream.
There was no other way to explain it.
"At least it's a relief. That it was just a dream..."
Yes, that's how he'd think of it.
By deeming it a dream, he'd drive out the deep darkness in his heart.
From a Sword Demon with no goals, contemplating death, he would now live again as Lee Yong-un in reality.
The family from the Central Plains, already dead and gone.
Bury them under the name of revenge, and live 'again'.
"They'd want that too... Yeah, let's do it."
The Sword Demon—no, Yong-un—nodded, clenching his fist tight.
"I'll live once more."
Not the life of the aimless Sword Demon, but Yong-un's life.
Grip.
Yong-un, fist clenched, untied the Demon-Slaying Sword from his waist.
And as if to prove his resolve, he unleashed a wave of thick demonic energy in all directions before slamming the sheathed sword into the ground.
Thud!
The hard asphalt sank in like tofu, the sheath burying deep.
After that, Yong-un left the spot without looking back.
Leaving behind his companion of thirty years, a part of him as the Sword Demon.
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"Traces of a gate occurrence have been confirmed. But the gate itself is not visible."
[What does that mean?]
"Just as I said. The rank 'special' gate has vanished. As expected of a 'red' danger level, over a hundred Awakeners have arrived in the area. But none of them seem to have seen even a spark from the gate."
[Then what the hell was that insane mana surge?]
"...It's just my guess, but it looks like the gate's boss slipped out."
[What!?]
The man on the phone looked down with a grave expression at the object right beside him.
The sword engraved with the words "Demon-Slaying," spewing a foul, dark-red smoke that wrinkled his nose just by looking at it.
Its mana was so intense that even over a hundred high-rank Awakeners wouldn't dare approach, pressing down heavily on the man making the call.
Deep wrinkles formed between his brows.
"Please summon all the S-Rank Awakeners dispatched by the International Hunter Association to this location."
[What are you talking about? Did you find something?]
"Yes, something horrific. The situation seems worse than we thought. I need backup."
Whoosh.
As if understanding the words, the sword spewing dark-red smoke erupted even more fiercely, threatening its surroundings.
Biting his lip at the sight, the man said,
"As quickly as possible."
With that, he set down the phone.
Then, clenching his fist, he muttered softly.
"I hope it's just my imagination..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
He had lived his entire life solely for martial arts and revenge.
To Yong-un, this new life felt utterly alien.
"Fascinating. More importantly, I can't see it..."
"S-Sir, come down! It's dangerous!"
This spot, where he now sat to take in the world he had once lived in at a glance, felt unfamiliar too.
"Are you worried about me?"
"O-Of course! You're too young to die! I don't know what's going on, but I'll help you. So, please, come down from there!"
"Is this place dangerous?"
He stood up from where he had been perched.
The men behind him flinched and reached out.
"Don't move!"
"What exactly do you want me to do... You told me to come down, and now..."
"J-Just stay still. We'll help you."
Yong-un chuckled softly at the approaching men.
Then, glancing once more at the high skyline behind him, he said,
"Just in case I'm the dangerous one..."
"Calm down!"
The men were now preventing even Yong-un from speaking.
From their looks, they were clearly worried.
Worried for none other than Yong-un—not the Sword Demon—who had survived turning the entire Heavenly Demon Cult against him.
"To receive concern from others... Heh, worried I might die?"
"D-Don't move! We can help you. Please..."
"This world is wondrous. In the martial world, no one worries for others. The Heavenly Demon Cult even less so."
"Huh? What does that..."
He turned his raised body toward the high edge.
Yong-un stood at the height, yet the men behind him shrank back.
"Don't worry. If I wanted to die, I'd have done it long ago right there. Thank you for your concern. Now..."
Yong-un gave the men a small smile and leaped off.
"No!"
Startled, the men finally rushed over and looked down.
But the man who had just jumped was gone.
Like a mirage, nothing was there.
Stunned, the men stared at each other in a daze.
"Was it a ghost? This is the 20th floor..."
"I know... He definitely jumped just now. Where'd he go?"
"Damn, we even called the cops..."
"Good thing it was a ghost? If that guy died here, my security career would've been over."
"Whew... Yeah, I know, man."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Maybe it's a better world than I thought."
Unaware that their actions stemmed from their need to survive, Yong-un simply saw it as their warm kindness.
Like the warmth he had received from that slum family when he first fell into the martial world.
"Not bad."
For Yong-un, who had lived only to kill, this feeling wasn't unpleasant at all.
It truly felt like a new life.
He wiped the faint smile from his lips.
Then he looked at the towering buildings surrounding him.
"But more than that, I still can't make it out no matter how I look."
The real reason Yong-un had climbed to the top of the building was something else.
Right before being swallowed by the light, to find that playground.
But even from the rooftop, the uniform structures made it hard to pinpoint the specific location in his memories.
That didn't mean there was no way.
Weee-oo-weee-oo!
'That's right, back then. If you're lost, ask the police with their colorful flashing lights for help.'
A childhood memory. It proved useful.
Fortunately, he spotted a police car from above.
Splitting the air, he dropped in front of the patrolling police car.
Thud!
At the sudden appearance, the police car screeching along the road slammed on the brakes, tires smoking.
Screeech.
Who could have anticipated it?
A person falling from the empty sky.
But the car, going over 50 kph, barreled forward despite the brakes and struck Yong-un's body.
Bam!
"Aah..."
The police car halted, and the two officers on patrol grabbed their necks in pain as they got out.
They had hit a person, but it felt like colliding with another vehicle.
Yet, for that brief instant, it was definitely a person.
Forgetting their pain, they rushed to the front of the car.
"Are you oka— what the...?"
They couldn't finish their words at the sight.
They expected someone hurt, but it was the opposite.
A clear handprint stamped on the bumper, and Yong-un looking utterly unscathed.
The officers' jaws dropped.
"Sorry for the damage. I didn't know how to stop a police car."
Stop a moving car? Bare-handed?
At Yong-un's bold words, the officers exchanged glances, speechless.
Then, a voice crackled from their radios.
[Static. Report when you arrive.]
"Ah..."
Snapping back, the officers hurriedly pressed the button.
"Accident 50 meters ahead delayed our arrival. The gate mentioned by Hunter HQ still isn't visible..."
It was right then, as the officer spoke.
Sparks began flying from the empty air directly behind Yong-un, who was facing them.
Crackle. Zap zap.
"Damn..."
At the sudden development, the officers talking on the radio recoiled in shock.
They shouted into the radio.
"Gate occurring! Gate occurring! Request immediate backup!"
Yong-un, listening to the officers, looked puzzled at their rapidly changing expressions.
Gate?
A unfamiliar word.
But his interest faded quickly.
What he needed now was the officers' help.
"I'm lost. If I give you the address, can you take me there?"
"Tell us the address at the station later. For now, get to safety."
"Station? You mean the police station? Will you take me there if I go?"
"First things first! We need to evacuate. A gate is forming!"
Yong-un had already sensed the energy from behind.
Strong enough to pique his curiosity briefly, but he ignored it as the qi flow weakened.
He turned his head to glance back.
The empty air twisted, spreading blue lightning in all directions.
"This world is full of wonders. Is that a gate? More importantly, take me to the police station right now."
"We can't right now. Evacuate first."
"You have a car. We can just go."
"Think we have nothing better to do? We're out here because of that. To prevent casualties from it. So get in the car, and once it's handled..."
Short on time, the officers deemed Yong-un unreasonable and tried to drag him away.
Watching them try to force him into the car, Yong-un looked at the gate again.
Then he fully turned to face it.
"That's the problem, huh. If that gate thing disappears, we can head to the station?"
"...Huh? What do you..."
As the officers started to respond, they noticed something they'd forgotten.
The clear handprint on the police car bumper.
"Something like that..."
"Then I should get rid of that first. Can't really ask for help empty-handed, right?"
Chills ran over the officers at Yong-un's calm voice.
They must have forgotten in the urgency.
Only one kind of being could produce such superhuman strength.
Finishing his words, Yong-un strolled into the gate like it was a walk in the park.
"W-Wait! You can't go alone...!"
A startled officer reached out late, but the perfectly formed gate entrance swallowed Yong-un whole.
And then, not even five seconds later, like it had ingested poison, the gate twisted violently.
Crunch.
"Wh-What?"
The officers couldn't continue.
"The g-gate... Senior? This is...!?"
"No way, solo...?"
A twisting gate.
They knew exactly what it meant.
The core forming the gate.
The boss had just died.
In other words, the gate had been cleared moments ago.
"What did I just witness...?"
Their minds blanked.
Faced with the impossible events in succession, the officers froze in place.
Yong-un emerged from the gate as casually as he'd entered.
He glanced at the twisting gate and asked the officers,
"The qi flow is distorting and breaking. Looks like it'll vanish on its own. Is that how it's done?"
"..."
The officers just stared at him silently.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Puzzled by their reaction, Yong-un asked back.
Sizzle.
Then, the gate that had appeared so noisily scattered fierce blue lightning in a final spasm before completely vanishing.
"Looks like I did well."
Yong-un nodded slightly at the empty space left by the gate.
Turning to the officers, he saw one of them, still dazed, ask,
"Wh-Who are you?"