Everyone Else is a Returnee
Page 17I Make Them (2)
“Well then, please give me an excuse that I can accept.”
With Erta in his palms, Yu IlHan tried his best to surpress his rage as he spoke. Erta seemed to be pricked by something as she didn’t receive Yu IlHan’s gaze straight on, and retorted in a small gaze whilst turning her head away.
[It’s because it was the solution that uses the least amount of energy……Probably……]
“Energy?”
[Connecting to other words was something that had already been done before, and it’s not hard to revive the severed connection. What’s left is touching up on the small details and setting for the quest-and-reward system. Now, if the Earthlings receive quests that are suitable for themselves and pile up their experience and records, then they’ll be able to grow their anti-monster capabilities faster.]
“And so, you’re saying that it’s the most reasonable method?”
[That’s so.]
Erta, who had regained a bit of confidence after seeing Yu IlHan’s positive attitude, retorted as such while looking at him.
Yu IlHan waited for this opportunity before asking with the saddest expression that he could muster.
“Then what about me?”
[……]
Erta was at a lost for words.
“IF everyone else is going to and fro from those other worlds, then me? What about me?”
[You were a loner anyways, so there probably won’t be a lot that changes though?
“Even so! You know? Even so!”
He had never felt such a violent rage in all of his thousand years.
He was angry at the overall situation, but most of all, he was angry at Erta’s words, that couldn’t be said to be that wrong.
“How should I answer when my mom asks me why I didn’t go to another world!?”
[Answer that you have nothing to learn about anything that can help with your life in such a place!]
“Am I some middle schooler who doesn’t want to go to school!?”
[Although I think it’s very pitiful, it’s useless to talk to me about it as this wasn’t my decision.]
Erta, who had reached her limit, eventually had to present a suitable argument like a coward as she pretended not to know anything.
Yu IlHan, who had lost the energy to retort, was mindless for a moment. With a sigh, he sat up on the bed.
“Yeah, well, I can’t do anything even if I complain to you. So in the end, I can’t go to another world.”
[If you become a higher existence, then who knows.]
“And how many years would that take?”
[It should be less than the time that you’ve lived up until now.]
“Well, that’s so comforting, hey!”
When he woke up and went to the kitchen, his mother and father were conversing with each other with serious faces-. On the lit TV, people were talking about the notice that had been sent to all of humanity, but it was accompanied by another shocking story as well.
“A state of emergency?”
(T/N: his parents may refer to themselves as ‘mother’ and ‘father’)
“You also know about it, don’t you son? Right now, the outside is dangerous. Whether it’s school or work, everything has stopped. Meanwhile, the military is conducting a large scale monster extermination. I heard they won’t allow the monsters to appear on the roads where people live, at least.”
It seemed that the government had also realized that they couldn’t have people go through their daily lives anymore. Perhaps, the other world quest notice might have sped up their decisions.
In truth, this was something that had occured in every other country that possessed a proper government.
Everybody had realized that they needed to maintain the survival of the people first before being able to strive for a normal everyday life in the changed world, and so, under the majority of the countries’ decisions, it had been decided that they would stop the flow of history for a bit.
Meanwhile, in that time, people would receive strength from other worlds. Not a power that would disappear like bubbles, like it had four days ago, but a power that would remain with them even in the future.
At that moment, Yu IlHan felt hope. Those upper echelons were only putting up temporary measures, like paying a card debt back with another card, but the humans on Earth were seriously considering the change they had to meet while they were moving.
Humanity will be able to adapt to the levelled-up Earth. As they always did. Excluding me. As they always did. – He thought.
“Mom, dad. Have a safe trip.”
“But this father hasn’t even gotten a 2nd class in all the 10 years that I was over there.”
“Just because the military is clearing up the monsters doesn’t mean that they won’t appear on the streets.”
“But the other world isn’t safe anymore as well.”
While time was stopped on Earth, there wasn’t a case where a human would die or get injured while in another world. However, from now on, it would be different. As the price for being able to acquire a strength that wouldn’t disappear, humanity now had to accept the danger that came with it. Even so.
“Even so, it should be less dangerous than staying here on Earth.”
“……That’s true.”
“Father, do everything you can do to not feel regret afterwards. You shouldn’t but your life on the line, but on this changed Earth, you can only live by accepting danger.”
Doing everything that was possible, doing everything that was impossible until it was possible – this was one of the beliefs that supported Yu IlHan’s foundation.
Perhaps his words, which contained his honest intentions, had moved his mother and father as they smiled bitterly while standing up.
“Yes, then I’ll go. You too, son. Don’t give up just because you can’t use mana and put your efforts into it.”
After saying that, his father was the one to disappear first. He had gone to another world in an instant.
However, his mother didn’t do the same. Instead, she looked at Yu IlHan with a worried face.
“Son, mother’s thinking is a bit different to your father’s. Although effort is important, you can’t overexert yourself.”
“What overexertion?”
“Isn’t it you who’s going around and hunting monsters with a mask?”
“……”
He was found out!? At this unexpected situation, Yu IlHan froze just like that. He was aware that his figure, which had been fighting against monsters, would be broadcasted publically, and he had also meticulously prepared for that, but even then……!
“Did you perhaps think that mother wouldn’t even recognize my own son? Even if you wear a mask and different clothes, I can notice you instantly. How could I not know my son?”
The power of blood was truly amazing – Yu IlHan muttered in his heart when he heard his mother’s words, which caused him to raise both of his hands and feet in defeat.
To think that the concealment which could fool the world, and even God, was unable to completely fool his mother…
“Mother doesn’t know how you became so strong. I’m proud, but also worried. But son, you know how scary those monsters are, right? Nobody knows what may happen in what place. So always keep your guard up and move with room to spare.”
His mother’s nitpicking only sounded affectionate when he heard it after such a long time. His mother finally seemed relieved after Yu IlHan nodded repeatedly. Then, she added on after putting a serious face back on again.
“But, the ones you have to be the most careful about are humans. From now on, there will be a lot of people who will be stronger and more evil than the monsters.”
“Okay.”
“If you know, then it’s okay. My proud son. Mother will go to Ya-umin again, okay?”
“Okay. Don’t do anything dangerous.”
“Alright.”
Perhaps due to the conversation with his mother, Yu IlHan, who had calmed down quite a bit slapped his cheeks and muttered to himself as if he was making a resolve.
“I should do my own work.”
[I’ll be going back to heaven for a bit. I should bring back the reward for the Executor quest as well.]
“Buy me an ice cream on the way back.”
As he had been too immersed in the excitement that had come from the profit that the Direwolf and the Brown Bear had given him, he had forgotten about the existence of the quest. Well, they said that they would give him something, so he had no reason to refuse. He happily sent Erta off without forgetting to tell her to buy ice cream, which he had a sudden craving for.
After he did that, he was really alone.
“Somehow, I’m reminded of my dropout days…”
As he complained in a small voice, he left his home. His destination was the nearby storage facility that he had bought with his money at a speed that was like grilling beans with lightning.
How foolish was it to acquire a storage building at night to use the next day!? However, he didn’t need anything. With cash, everything was solved. The Republic of Korea was a good place to live for those who had a lot of money. Although, he didn’t know that until now, since he hadn’t had any money before!
Yu IlHan arrived at the storage, which would be his workshop from now on. He had only prepared the basic equipment like a fireplace and an anvil due to the urgency. There were many lacking aspects, but as he didn’t even need to do any proper work in the foreseeable future, it was alright.
Well, that was because the only materials he currently had were bones and leather. In other words, things that he didn’t need to temper. He was itching to hammer some metal, but the situation didn’t allow him to.
Of course, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t do anything at all. Raw leather would rot if left like that, and it was the same for the bones that was dotted with impurities and full of oil! The reason he came to the workshop was to process them before it became too late.
Yu IlHan fully mobilized all the knowledge that he had piled up over a thousand years, and began to process the leather and bones in the best way that he knew. After the things that could pollute the precious materials, such as blood and flesh, were removed perfectly, the leather would go through an additional tanning process. He had already sold all the materials aside from the ones that he needed, so he could avoid working all day.
Even while processing all that leather, Yu IlHan didn’t sweat a single drop. It was only possible because, in the first place, he had a different base strength when compared to others, and it had further increased when he had levelled up to 24.
All the work was finished. He would be able to create something with the bones right now, but the leather was the problem. Just the tanning process itself would take several more days, and when he thought about the hardening process, which would come after, he might have to forget about wearing an armor that could cover his entire body.
“At this rate, when the armor is finished, wouldn’t it have no meaning, since my level would be too high at that point?”
If it was like that, he would kill stronger monsters to earn its leather, and when he created an armor with that, then his level would…… there was nothing more of a wast of time than this.
[You can process them with magic.]
“Oh, you’re back? Even if you say that, I can’t use mag……”
Yu IlHan’s words trailed off midway after he confirmed Erta’s appearance. It wasn’t because she hadn’t bought him ice cream.
It was because the Erta before him had a similar stature to Yu IlHan.
He first doubted whether or not it was really Erta, but after he had confirmed that it was really her, who, he didn’t want to admit, had a truly beautiful face, he fell into thought, realizing the cause soon after.
“Giantification magic!”
[Instead, my previous appearance was caused by shrinking magic. Just what did you think I was?]
[Hold this hand. I’ll transfer the rewards to you now.]
Yu IlHan, who was slightly overwhelmed due to the holiness that he somehow felt coming from her, which wasn’t present while she was palm-sized, obediently held out his hand and grabbed hers.
The moment after, he felt an extremely cold, but a bit soft, and horrifyingly delicate, touch as a few strings of words popped up in his view.
[Heavenly Quest 001. Executor mission completed!]
[All stats have increased by 1.]
[You are the one who has most successfully completed the quest amongst quest applicants. A special reward has been added.]
[You have acquired Eternal Flame.]
“Eternal Flame?”
While he urgently let go of her hand, thinking that he would start to feel strange if he continued to hold it, Yu IlHan looked towards Erta’s face with an expression that seemed to say, ‘I don’t remember receiving something like that though?’ Then, Erta gave a small smile as she raised her other hand.
[Look.]
“Oh.”
In the fireplace that he had prepared, a bright red flame was burning despite the fact that he hadn’t put down any fuel.
[An inextinguishable and living flame that can continuously grow. It’s a precious flame from heaven. If it wasn’t for the fact that you’re in the initial stages of the Great Cataclysm, it would be absolutely impossible to receive this reward with a quest of that level, so please realize the value of this flame.]
“Wow.”
Just with Erta’s explanation, he had more than realized the flame’s value. The Eternal Flame burning inside the fireplace was acting cute while it changed its appearance, as if it knew who its master was. The word ‘living’ wasn’t at all exaggerated when used to describe it.
“It’s a truly fitting reward for me…….”
[I knew you would say that. Rita insisted strongly.]
“Rita did……”
Yu IlHan was no longer listening to Erta’s words. To think that it was an inextinguishable and living flame. Various thoughts came to mind. This would help a lot when he had to process large amounts of metal in the future!
[And……Rejoice. For you, who can’t go to another world, heaven has prepared a second quest.]
And so, he had to take a lot of time to listen to and understand Erta’s following words.
[From now, you have to install dungeons on Earth.]
Author’s notes
Mom: Why are you so stubborn about not going to another world! Even next door Johnny is going obediently!
The quest rewards won’t be experience, but status, item, skills, and such.
If you are curious about MC’s feelings, then click this. (T/N: subtitle says “I’ve never felt such a violent rage until now!”)
Answer, there was a special quest for the MC!
Just because he’s creating dungeons, the novel won’t turn into a dungeon-management novel, so don’t worry…
Translator’s notes
I keep thinking that the mother is no one ordinary. She can see through his ability, and even see through his concealment.