LGHTNOVELBOOK C104
Chapter 104
3.
[Gate is forming in the current area!]
With the appearance of a red-bordered message, the growing gate finally began to fully activate.
“Everyone, get ready!”
“The main monsters of the gate have been confirmed! The type is Beast-class! It’s a Great Wyrm!”
“Don’t engage immediately! A Returnee is coming through. Full subjugation begins after contact with the Returnee!”
The hunters kept their composure and carefully monitored the situation.
From the gate, beastly creatures resembling worms with teeth began to crawl out.
Each of them was as large as an average single-story house.
The Great Wyrms.
As I observed the endless stream of those worm-like beasts crawling out, I lightly stretched my body.
“They’re quite threatening for a B-rank gate. Those things are dangerous if they burrow underground. They erode the ground and, above all, their bodily fluids are highly acidic, capable of damaging buildings significantly.”
“Great Wyrms—classified in the database as beast-type monsters. But we can’t move recklessly. When a Disaster-class Returnee emerges from a gate, the monsters must be contained at the first defensive line.”
“Smart decision.”
Sending hunters in recklessly could lead to them being swept up by the emerging Returnee from the gate.
I agreed that it was a sound strategy.
Even if the Great Wyrms did burrow underground, it wouldn’t be a major issue for me. If necessary, I could hammer divine power and sacred flames into the ground. Besides, unlike other monster types, Great Wyrms are clearly beasts.
[Passive Skill
Beasts cannot maintain their composure in my presence. Indeed, most of the Great Wyrms crawling out of the gate were already showing signs of being intimidated.
The Great Wyrms were a secondary issue.
The pivotal factor in this gate was the attitude of the Returnee emerging from it.
“They’re coming through.”
I muttered as I felt the overwhelming energy starting to cross over from the gate, and Chief Kim swallowed nervously, nodding.
“Mr. Siwoo, in the worst-case scenario—”
“There are still many civilians who haven’t evacuated. I know, don’t worry.”
This was my first time witnessing the emergence of a Disaster-class Returnee in real-time.
Reflecting on my own return to Earth, there was nothing particularly notable about it.
I crossed over using Limen’s power, made another contract with Limen, and that was that.
I returned as if on a casual stroll, and I complied fully with the Department of Ability Management.
But the scene unfolding before my eyes now was far from what one would call a casual stroll.
Crackle-
Wuuuuuuung!
From the massive gate, crimson sparks erupted wildly. Compared to the time when Archbishop Rapart and Toby crossed over, the energy now was overwhelmingly violent.
The red spots spreading from the center of the gate quickly consumed its violet hue.
The sight was nothing short of ravenous.
Crackle!
In the blink of an eye, the crimson patches devoured all traces of violet, taking over the entire gate.
And moments later—
Step.
From the crimson-colored gate, someone began to walk out slowly.
At that moment, even the roars of the Great Wyrms and the shouts of the hunters were silenced. In a tension-filled stillness, the only sound that echoed was the steady footsteps of the emerging figure.
The sound of those footsteps continued for some time. When they finally stopped, a boy with a youthful face stood before the crimson-stained gate.
“Ambiguous.”
Calling that figure a boy felt somehow inappropriate. He seemed to straddle the line between boyhood and young adulthood.
At most, he looked to be in his early twenties.
The young man, whose face still bore traces of boyishness, had an elegant appearance.
He wore a black turtleneck under a burgundy coat that reached his knees. His pale, almost sickly white skin and his indifferent black eyes betrayed no emotion.
The only things I could infer were the immense energy radiating from him and that the black scabbard at his waist suggested he was a swordsman.
“Negotiation team, proceed.”
Chief Kim gave the low-voiced command. At his order, the leader of the negotiation team, who had been waiting by our side, raised a megaphone.
Even though they were the negotiation team, they wisely avoided approaching the Disaster-class Returnee directly.
It was a prudent decision—not blindly approaching and risking a meaningless death.
With the roaring of the Great Wyrms momentarily subdued, the negotiation team leader’s voice echoed clearly through the megaphone.
“Welcome back to the Republic of Korea. Are you a citizen of Korea? If so, please raise your right hand.”
The Returnee complied without a change in expression, raising his right hand.
Watching the scene, I asked Chief Kim cautiously.
“Is this a good sign?”
“…For now, yes. The fact that he understands Korean is promising. Some Returners can’t even comprehend the language. At least we’ll be able to communicate with him.”
“Then it’s a good sign.”
The first step seemed to have gone smoothly. Or at least, that’s how it appeared.
Yet, why did this sticky sense of foreboding persist? My brows furrowed unconsciously.
“Negotiation leader, proceed.”
“Understood, sir.”
Having confirmed that the Returnee understood Korean, the next step was to initiate a proper dialogue.
“We request that you disarm as proof of your non-hostility. If you comply with our instructions and disarm, we will proceed with the necessary formalities. We assure you no harm will come to you.”
To a swordsman, a sword is an extension of their body. Asking them to relinquish it was not a simple request.
Yet the Returnee, without hesitation, unclasped the scabbard at his waist and placed it at his feet. Then, he slowly distanced himself from the weapon.
Not stopping there, he knelt on the ground of his own accord and clasped his hands behind his back.
A gesture that conveyed a complete lack of hostility.
Seeing this, the negotiation team immediately moved on to the next phase.
“Thank you for your cooperation! We will now approach to escort you to a safe location. Is that acceptable?”
The man nodded.
Superficially, he seemed entirely cooperative with no ulterior motives, fully compliant with the government.
Seeing this, Chief Kim slightly relaxed his guard and spoke.
“He’s even more cooperative than Ryu Jin-young was three years ago. It took considerable effort to break through his wariness, but this man is surprisingly compliant. Perhaps we were worried for nothing.”
“Careful with the jinxes, Chief Kim.”
The negotiation team, led by their leader and consisting of four members, cautiously moved forward.
The Great Wyrms that had emerged from the gate recoiled in fear, clearing a path as they advanced.
A pathway opened between the grotesque beasts, leading directly to the man.
“…Could it be Mr. Siwoo?”
“No.”
“Then why are the monsters—?”
“They’re not afraid of me alone.”
Even the notoriously savage Great Wyrms were cowed in the presence of the man.
The negotiation team members, striving to maintain their composure, cautiously approached.
One step, then another.
They proceeded meticulously, inching closer, and the man remained kneeling, unmoving.
Was my earlier intuition truly wrong?
‘…That can’t be.’
My intuition had never been wrong before. And yet, this man’s docile demeanor made even me doubt it.
That’s when it happened.
[The target has fully synchronized with the system of
[Activating Active Skill
[List of Player
[
[Warning! The target is a figure who has committed numerous atrocities.
A flood of message windows appeared before my eyes.
At the same time, a red aura began to manifest behind the man, Lee Eun-hyuk, in the distance.
The moment I saw it, I urgently called out to Chief Kim.
“Pull them back.”
“…What?”
“Get them out of there. Now!”
“Mr. Siwoo, what are you—”
Deputy Director Kim’s words were cut short.
The crimson glint flashed in Lee Eun-hyuk’s eyes, and at that instant, the sword sheath lying a distance away was sucked into his hand.
Without a shred of hesitation, Lee Eun-hyuk unsheathed the sword, and I immediately sprang into action.
In less than a second—
BOOOOOM!
“This bastard…”
In a split second, I closed the distance and grabbed the blade of the sword barehanded, my expression twisting into a scowl.
Sccccrreeeech!
The shockwave generated from the sword’s unsheathing tore everything around me apart.
The negotiation team from the Department of Ability Management, who had cautiously approached just moments ago, were thrown backward, scattering blood into the air.
The only fortunate thing was that they had narrowly clung to their lives.
If they had taken even one more step forward, they would’ve been shredded into pieces.
AAAAAAHHHHHH!
The dark crimson energy coursing along the sword’s blade howled as it vibrated.
Every time it surged, a horrific scream echoed in my ears, and tormented human faces flickered on the blade.
Anyone with weak mental strength would have been instantly consumed by terror.
“You can see them too, can’t you?”
A voice from beyond the sword’s blade reached me—Lee Eun-hyuk’s.
His voice, bleeding through the ghastly screams, sounded no different from that of a ghost.
“What you’re thinking is right. These are the vengeful spirits of the victims whose necks were severed by my blade. Precisely ten years’ worth of them. How does it feel? Doesn’t it send shivers down your spine? Isn’t it delightful to look at? I thought I’d die from holding back my urge to boast about this to the humans of Earth.”
This was dangerous.
Yoo Se-young, who I had faced at Ground Zero? Or Lee Se-hee, the mastermind behind the terror attacks?
None of them could compare to this monster.
Beyond the emptiness in Lee Eun-hyuk’s hollow eyes, only one thing was visible—hatred so profound it twisted even his soul.
The only thing emanating from him was an endless abyss of loathing.
“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this day. Today! This very day! Do you know how many I’ve killed for this moment? I killed, killed again, and killed them all! Just so I could kill even more when I returned to Earth!”
As if drawing strength from his overwhelming hatred, the dark crimson energy flared violently once more.
WHOOMPH!
The backlash from the sword’s blade pushed me back, and Lee Eun-hyuk didn’t miss the opportunity to reorient his stance.
His once-expressionless face now bore a sinister smile.
“If it weren’t for you, I could have started this off in such a good mood. Why are you stopping me? Who do you think you are to interfere with my happiness? My one chance to finally be happy, and you’re blocking it. Why?!”
“You look like a brat, but you whine like a dirty old hag.”
I donned my black gloves and smirked.
“Negotiations are over. The only request I received from the government was this: prioritize neutralizing the target. If neutralization proves impossible—kill immediately.”
A chance for reform?
It would be easier to reform a demon than a bastard like this.
Once someone’s soul has been consumed entirely by hatred, there’s no bringing them back.
No wonder I had felt such a disgusting sense of foreboding.
“See, Deputy Director Kim, I told you not to jinx it with those flags.”
I let out a sly grin and beckoned Lee Eun-hyuk with my fingers.
“In dramas and novels, edgy characters like you usually trigger a death flag, you know?”
“What are you babbling about?”
“What do you think? I’m saying you’re no exception.”