How a legendary returner lives

There’s nothing particularly new about this.

No, this should’ve been addressed from the start.

Jin Sihoo knows every one of the 200 people who fell into Titan, including himself.

At least, he knows their names and faces, and he also knows what kind of jobs they had on Earth before they fell into Titan—’most’ of them, anyway.

Their nationalities were diverse.

Bolivia, Mexico, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and even Suriname.

There were also people from North Korea, and of course, South Korea.

When people fall into such places, it’s natural for those who know each other to gather together. In Jin Sihoo’s case, Koreans from South Korea naturally came together.

So, he knows every South Korean who fell into Titan.

Kim Minjae, Jeong Seongil, Ma Jinno, Jeong Honam, Im Gyeongtae.

And also, Jeong Hyoju and Jeong Seongju from Seoul.

It was simple.

Among them, Jeong Honam and Im Gyeongtae were from Busan.

Ma Jinno was from Jeolla, but after the Great Transformation, he settled in Busan.

Currently, Jeong Honam was the Director of the Administrative Division at Busan City Hall, and Im Gyeongtae was the Chief of Police at the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency.

Ten years ago, while they weren’t the current Director and Chief, both of them were public officials.

Ma Jinno contacted both of them, and each gave their response.

“Do we really have to go? Who’s the idiot who’d go just because he said so? He seems like he’s gambling right now, so if we don’t respond, isn’t he the only one at a loss? Jin Sihoo, who was originally an ordinary person, is actually an Awakened. It’s like a third-rate writer fooling the world. The storyline is good, isn’t it? If we contact a reporter, we could spread this nationwide today. What do you think?”

This was Jeong Honam’s reply.

“He definitely set up the game. But isn’t this a gamble for us as well? If we kill him here, maybe ‘he’ will give us even greater power. With that power, we could be among the top 100. Forget about 148th or 167th, we could get our own name. This is an opportunity. I’m going. I’ll gather the elites and bury him in the gate. It wouldn’t hurt us at all.”

This was Im Gyeongtae’s reply.

The two opinions were different. But the three of them were ‘associates’ in Busan.

They were close, and even if their opinions differed, they could persuade each other in some way.

Ma Jinno said.

“I’m going.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Not at all. I’m planning to ask for cooperation from the ‘Sengyeon Nosa (Life and Death Partnership)’ in Seoul as well.”

“…Would they come? They seem pretty deep into their role.”

“Of course, the chances are low. But honestly speaking, can the three of us, with our full power, be stopped by him alone?”

“What about the guy who killed the 99th Apostle, ‘Karma’?”

“If the three of us work together, we could take on not just Karma, but even Apostles in the top 80.”

The reason was simple.

“There’s a reason for matchups.”

Their synergy was so incredible that it was said to be perfect. They hadn’t just been hanging around together for no reason.

Each of them possessed the attributes of ‘fire,’ ‘wind,’ and ‘earth.’

They were even experts at controlling these elements. When they combined, the synergy effect was enormous.

“It’s worth a try.”

……

……

Looking at their silence, Ma Jinno continued.

“This is an opportunity for us. An opportunity to kill him and gain even more power.”

“What if we fail?”

“There are many useful phrases in human languages. Among them, ‘High risk, high return’ seems to fit this situation perfectly.”

Unlike Im Gyeongtae, who had already agreed, Jeong Honam hesitated.

And that hesitation didn’t last long.

“I hear there’s talk in the media. Let’s stop that first, then join in.”

“Let’s say it’s not Jin Sihoo, but someone who looks like Jin Sihoo was swept into the gate. It’ll be easy to manipulate the local media and witnesses.”

“I’ll handle the area around the gate. I’ll clear a 100-meter radius.”

This was simple.

“Let’s meet in front of the gate in an hour.”

The plan moved forward swiftly.

The three men gathered in front of the gate, prepared everything, and entered.

Then they saw.

Jin Sihoo, sitting and smoking a cigarette.

From the perspective of the Director of the Administrative Division at the City Hall, the Police Chief, and the SS+ level Awakened of Busan’s leading Clearner—he was nothing more than a street thug.

He looked exactly like a lowlife thug from the alley, smoking a cigarette.

“Hey, you’re here? You’re a bit late.”

Jin Sihoo flicked the cigarette. Instead of throwing it into an empty spot, he threw it directly at Ma Jinno.

The cigarette hit Ma Jinno’s face and fell to the ground.

“…This bastard.”

Honestly, I didn’t think too much about it.

Starting today, I’m planning to clean up all of South Korea by tomorrow.

That should be enough.

First, today in Busan, and then tomorrow in Seoul, after cleaning everything up, the Apostles in South Korea will be done. I slowly got up. Ma Jinno’s expression after being hit with the cigarette was quite entertaining.

He looked the same as he did in Titan.

“Don’t get attached, let’s go back to the original form right away.”

The three men were quiet. With a smile, I took another cigarette out of my pocket.

“I’ll wait for you. I’ve already waited this long, why not wait a bit more? Take your time.”

Hiss, the flame ignites.

I almost forgot to say this.

“I’ll wait until you finish smoking this.”

Slowly, the three men began to change.

They looked similar to the SS-level or SSS-level beings I saw at the Texas Gate, or even the other Apostles like Kim Minjae. They were about 2 meters tall, with muscles so massive their clothes looked like they might rip. They had horns on their foreheads, but the difference here was that some had straight horns, some had spiral horns, and others had two or three spiral horns.

The wings on their backs also varied in size.

The 99th Apostle.

Hmm.

“The transformation seems done. But before we begin, can I ask one thing?”

“A question… Sure, let’s do a Q&A.”

“I don’t think it’s necessary, but okay. The one who appeared at the Texas Gate, what was his name?”

“Karma.”

“Ah, it was Karma. Nice name.”

“Now, it’s my turn to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“What’s your ultimate goal?”

A goal…

My goal was simple.

“The kids in Titan really suffered a lot. Some promised to return to Earth, only to die the next day. Some entered the service of Dragon minions, only to be betrayed while exploiting other humans. There were all sorts of scumbags. The ones who stayed in my memory were those kinds of people, not fake bastards like you.”

“…”

“It’s just a selfish reason. Oh, I guess I twisted my words a bit. Sorry.”

I crushed the cigarette I was holding with my foot and continued.

“My goal is simple. I’m here to kill all the Apostles.”

“…What?”

“Just, I’m planning to kill all of them, without exception.”

“Even if they are key figures in politics and business?”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“……”

“Whether they’re the president, ministers, or vice ministers, what does it matter? They’re not humans, they’re just fake dopplegangers. And hey, I just said it—it’s for selfish reasons.”

“……”

“What? Just because they’re the president or ministers, does that mean I shouldn’t kill them?”

“You’re so confident. The one who’s about to die here soon.”

I laughed again.

Were they originally some comedian trio or something?

I took off my coat and pushed it into the void space.

But then.

“This is really unfair.”

“Are you talking about the three of us showing up? Ha, now you say that? Didn’t you tell us to come here yourself?”

I shook my head.

“That’s not what I mean. You said it would be a Q&A, right? But I’ve answered way too many questions, don’t you think?”

“……”

“Let me ask just one thing. Answer me this.”

I slowly walked and asked.

“Where do I go to meet this ‘person’ you keep talking about?”

“You won’t be able to meet them.”

“Why?”

“The moment you do, you’ll die.”

I felt sick, almost to the point of nausea.

“So, even if I can’t meet them, can I talk to them?”

“You can. Some of the Apostles have a direct means of contacting ‘that person.'”

“Do you have one of those?”

“We do.”

“Who has it?”

“……”

“Is it you?”

“……”

“It’s you, isn’t it? Okay, let’s begin.”

The white lotus energy poured out.

I immediately sprang into action.

I swung my fist toward Marjinno’s face.

Boom!

Marjinno was thrown far away. I spun my body and kicked out, hitting the man next to him on the side of the head, then using the recoil to strike once more.

The last guy, who had been standing still, was also sent flying.

Amidst the blood spilling into the air, I landed.

Their gazes were locked on me.

There was no reason to drag this out.

I leaped again.

* * *

The location of the S-level gate in Busan was near Jangsan Peak on the eastern coast of Yongho-dong.

As expected, after the gate appeared, the area was quickly controlled, and entry was restricted until the gate was cleared.

Despite the restrictions, there were always all kinds of people in the world. The existence of awakeners was a global issue, and everyone was curious about who the strongest was, who had the most potential, and who might attract attention beyond that.

The Gwangalli Crazy Guild was famous. It was a pride of Busan.

Marjinno, the guild master, was well-known in Gwangalli, and while more people might not know him globally, there was still a certain level of demand.

There were people who filmed awakeners clearing gates and posted it online.

Streamers and paparazzi alike.

The police chief and the head of Busan’s Administrative Department didn’t just happen to put up a perimeter.

And it wasn’t just the police and Gwangalli’s crazy guild members who were controlling the area.

They had their reasons.

And right now.

Even with stronger control, there was a man breaking through it, holding a portable camera and climbing the mountain.

Soo Byeongmin, a streamer with 4.5 million subscribers, known as “Busan Man TV,” whose real name was Soo Byeongmin.

Soo Byeongmin was an A+ level awakener specialized in stealth skills.

No matter how tight the control was, someone with A+ level stealth skills could break through it, and even an S+ level awakener was needed to stop him.

40 A+ level awakeners were deployed to control the area, 80 lower-level awakeners, and 150 special police.

If Soo Byeongmin really put his mind to it, he could break through.

Like now.

“Guys, I told you, they’re just scarecrows, right? You saw that, didn’t you? I’m Soo Byeongmin. That’s the S-level gate right there.”

The gate was now just 10 meters away.

There were special police guarding the area, awakeners among them, but it didn’t matter.

If he ran like a madman, he could definitely make it into the gate.

Hidden in the bushes, Soo Byeongmin whispered in a low voice.

“I’m going to turn off the broadcast now since I can’t stream from inside. I’ll go in, film everything, and reveal it all, so stay tuned. Is it really Jin Sihoo, Jin Songyi’s younger brother, behind this? What’s up with that City Hall financial officer, urban planning stuff? I don’t know, but what’s the deal with calling the head of the police and the head of administration? And why are these idiots just waiting around here? I’ll uncover it all and let you know. See you soon.”

After stopping the broadcast, Soo Byeongmin hit the record button and sprinted straight into the gate.

“What the hell? Who are you!”

“Stop that bastard!”