Returnee’s Life Report

46

It was Jeong Gi-Hoon who noticed the problem with the gate first.

He then called on Yoo Ee-Na, who was right next to him.

“Ms. Yoo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Is it just me, or do you see a change in the color of the gate?”

Ee-Na tilted her head as if she wasn’t sure. The gate was still red.

There was a moment of silence where Gi-Hoon stared at the gate intently. He sensed that something unusual was happening. Jeong-Soo came by, stating that she also sensed that something was wrong.

Then with a loud, rumbling sound, the gate shook, clearly changing from red to black.

“…What on Earth is going on?”

This was an unusual case. A gate changing colors was something that was previously unheard of. However, most importantly, the gate was now black. Black gates had appeared only three times in recorded history. All of those times resulted in dreadful events.

In this place, numerous gates kept appearing, from C, B, A, and even S-rated. It seemed unstoppable, and people weren’t able to survive in this region. That was why people called this place a living hell.

Another famous place like this was the ‘Devil King’s Dungeon.’

Six years ago, that gate had appeared in North Korea. However, North Korea had a closed mind, so instead of requesting help, they attempted to clear it by themselves. That was a massive failure and the reason why North Korea was now known as a living hell.

North Korea was not part of South Korea’s territory. There had been a political reason behind it, but since a lot of gates had appeared, some South Korean Hunters came over to clear them and earn money from North Korea.

Meanwhile, black gates had also appeared in New York and London. Both of those were cleared by elite Hunters to protect their countries’ major cities.

This was why both researchers and Hunters were afraid of the black gate.

However, what happened if two or three black gates were to appear simultaneously?

The answer was simple. Ut was doom.

This was exactly what was happening right in front of them.

It was the first time they had heard of a gate’s color changing. To make matters worse, the gate had turned black. It seemed like nonsense, but it had just happened.

Everyone stared, frozen in fear. Gi-Hoon was the first person to recover his calmness.

Since Lee Hwan was already there, they didn’t have to worry about the gate. That was a huge relief. The death toll from it… He didn’t want to think about it for now.

Jeong Gi-Hoon then turned on his smartwatch and paused. Who should he call? The answer was simple; there was only one person he needed to call.

[ Yes, Mr. Jung. What’s the problem?” ]

“I know you are busy with Lee Myeon-Seong’s case, but this is an emergency, sir.”

It was Lee Ho, also known as the hero of this country. Sensing the seriousness in Gi-Hoon’s voice, Ho became serious as well.

[ Tell me. What happened? ]

“Master, have you ever seen a gate change its rank?”

Ho frowned and asked.

[ A gate’s rank changing? ]

“Indeed. The gate Ko-gu-Rea guild has just entered changed into a black gate.”

Ho could sense Gi-Hoon’s worry.

[ A change in the gate’s rank… I suppose this is the storm he mentioned…]

Ho whispered. Gi-Hoon, however, heard it and wondered what it could possibly mean. Ho calmly replied to Gi-Hoon.

[ Would you let me talk with my brother? ]

“…The thing is, sir, Mr. Lee entered the gate as well.”

[ …What? ]

“While he was speaking with Mr. Han, he got interested in it. That’s why he left…”

Before he could finish his sentence, he heard the door of Ho’s office room banging open with a loud sound.

[ Master, it’s an emergency! ]

The voice was so loud, he could hear it from over the phone. Jeong Gi-Hoon knew that voice; it was Park Hyeon-Soo, the team leader of Cheon-Myeong’s strike team. He could hear their urgent conversation through the phone. Ho was now speaking.

[ I heard that the gate near Do-Bong mountain went through a change in rank. ]

However, Hyeon-Soo’s response was rather surprising.

[ That place… also went through a change in rank? China and England experienced the same thing! ]

After hearing that, Gi-Hoon felt as if he was seeing the gate for the first time. As Ho had said, a storm was brewing.

Jeong Gi-Hoon could feel that Ho was speechless. In addition, he realized that what was happening now was just the beginning. This was why so many unique skill holders had appeared recently. Lee Hwan was right; a big event was occurring.

[ Mr. Jung. ]

“Yes, sir.”

[ First of all… You don’t have to worry about the Do-Bong mountain’s gate. It will be cleared soon. ]

“Oh…”

Jeong Gi-Hoon was relieved, finding comfort in those words.

“As you say, master.”

***

The members of the Ko-gu-Rea guild were definitely not amateurs. They had cleared more than a hundred gates, four of those S-rated.

They had been able to clear this type of gate multiple times.

When they entered, it became apparently clear to them that even though this particular gate was S-rated, it was still very similar to an A-rated. This gate was weaker than the four others they had cleared before.

They indeed went in with confidence, but they didn’t underestimate the gate or have too much self-confidence. They knew that that would be a dangerous mindset.

They found out important information about the gate and spotted a mysterious door. That was the moment they called on their president.

To know what was behind the mysterious door, Mr. Han grabbed the handle. At his touch, the entire gate shook violently. Every member of the guild gathered around Mr. Han as he opened the door, but he was the first one to sense the danger.

“Everyone, get ready for…”

His words were interrupted by a human-like being that emerged from the opened door.

With a swift, immediate slash, the man sliced off Mr. Han’s neck in one single attack. He didn’t even have enough time to react to it.

Hyeok felt as if time had stopped. It probably did.

Mr. Han had never believed that he would live longer than Hyeok. He never even imagined that; he knew all along that he would one day die at the gate.

However, this was not the death he deserved. Mr. Han died without even knowing what happened. He had just been wondering what was inside the mysterious door. It all happened so fast that he probably didn’t even see who had killed him.

Jang Hyeok could do nothing but watch his president’s death.

This was an insult. Even dogs didn’t die like this.

Hyeok’s widened eyes turned blood red. It was an S-rated skill called ‘Berserker Rage.’

The members of the Ko-gu-Rea guild could do nothing but watch as the man emerged from the door and killed their guild master. He was a gigantic man with coppery skin that moved incredibly fast. In his hand was a long, black sword.

The man opened his mouth.

“#######.”

It screamed in a language that no one could understand, but there was no need for an interpretation. The conversation was considered pointless.

Jang Hyeok was about to charge at the man with his fellow Hunters, but the ‘monster’ moved first. It rushed straight at him, and Hyeok didn’t even have time to think. He used all his effort to block that man—no—monster’s attack.

He did not understand. This monster was at least an SS-rated one. How could it appear in a gate with a lower rank? Something was wrong.

Then he knew that this was what Mr. Han had felt.

He could see the monster’s movements, but his body couldn’t follow them. Jang Hyeok knew that he would die here and actually had an image in his mind of how it would look.

Suddenly, an unexpected thing happened.

The monster stopped in its tracks. Seeing this, Hyeok immediately stepped back, his heart beating fast. He felt as if he had risen from an abyss.

It was a simple answer. Lee Hwan had blocked the monster’s attack.

At the sight of Lee Hwan, Jang Hyeok froze in place.

It had suddenly turned very cold.

His atmosphere was so cold that everyone felt like they were freezing.

Lee Hwan opened his mouth, addressing the Ko-gu-Rea guild members.

“Everyone, step back.”

***

I had not known Mr. Han for a long time; I didn’t even know his birthday. But I was certain that he was a great man.

While observing Ko-gu-Rea guild’s strategy, I knew that my assumptions were correct.

‘The commander cannot be drunk.’

That defined who that man was. He was a responsible person who could show it not only through his words but also through his actions.

And that person just died.

I could see that he didn’t even have time to realize his death.

I closed my eyes. It felt terrible, but I was already used to all this. That was how life in Valhalla was. Good people never lasted long.

I felt dirty. Really dirty.

I didn’t know what to think about all this. The gate, as far as I know, could have easily been cleared by the Ko-gu-Rea guild, but in just a short time, everything had completely changed.

Something had intervened to enhance the power of this gate.

If Mr. Han had kept his distance, he would have survived. However, he wandered too close, and that was how he died.

The monster that looked like a man in front of me was taller than me, and its sword was longer than my body. It was murmuring something unintelligible.

“###, ####.”

Without looking away from it, I asked the interpreter behind me.

“What is he saying?”

“Um… He is asking for the person who woke him up. He thinks it’s you.”

I turned my head.

“Tell him this.”

Aura was flowing inside me, and all thirteen of my aura gateways were opened. I was ready to use my full power.

My entire body shone with golden light. As I began to exert force on the monster’s arm, it immediately frowned.

“Tell him that he will not end up well.”

It was at that moment that the monstrous man smiled and started to attack.

I could see that he was a bit weaker than my brother. A master level, I suppose.

I pulled on his arm, and he immediately lost his balance. His attempt to attack me didn’t work well. I kicked his chest, and with a crashing sound, the monstrous man was pushed back. He was bleeding, but I ignored that obvious fact.

I approached him slowly. As I stood in front of him, I saw that he was shivering. I could see that he was afraid of me. He, however, didn’t deserve mercy.

I kicked him again, throwing him hard against the wall.

He raised his arm and swung his sword as a counterattack, but it was just a worthless blow. It wasn’t even a threat.

I easily dodged his attack and grabbed his hair hard, pulling him closer to me. As he neared my body, I clenched my fist and punched him straight in the face.

His nose was crushed, and I dropped him on the floor.

However, that was not enough. I used my fist once more.

Blam.

Again.

Blam.

His arms and legs were shaking. I guess I needed to punch him some more.

Blam.

The monster man’s face was now nothing but pulp, but I continued to hit him nevertheless. The sounds of my punches continuously reverberated inside the gate.

Then, I stopped.

The man’s whole body was already smashed badly. He wasn’t breathing anymore.

I was, after all, a man of my word. If I say I’ll do something, I keep that promise. I said that he wouldn’t be ending up well, and that was exactly what happened.

When I finally stood up, everyone was silent.