After Returning, My Abilities are Infinite

Episode 108. Robbing an Empty House (3)

At the time of the Rift event, the number of missing persons was as high as the death toll. The never-seen-before, massive-scale Dimension Distortion Phenomenon didn’t stop at just summoning Monsters; it also took part of humanity to a different world.

-As far as I know, all of the missing people flew over to a different world. But the number of Returnees is less than 10 percent. Do you know why?

The truth that a Returnee had told me himself in the past. Even while dying tragically at the hands of Hunters and executors, he helped us. Coughing up blood, the Returnee went on.

-You have to become the strongest person in the world to return to Earth.

He looked very bitter.

-You have to kill your neighbors, friends, and lovers. You have to trample on everyone and climb upwards to return to where you used to live.

-That’s why some people said that they would stay there instead of coming back.

-But they were all killed by someone else who wanted to return.

-So all the Returnees are strong. They once had an entire world in their grasp. But they are all broken somewhere. I don’t expect… cough… any of them to be normal.

Numerous Hunters and executioners looked down at the dying man.

-… I’m sorry to see you die like this.

-If only I had the possessions that I left behind in the other world… We wouldn’t have fought like this, and we could have had a better relationship.

-If only I had those things I left there… I wouldn’t have been defeated so miserably before even having a conversation…….

Thud. And that was how the Returnee died. He was neither particularly strong nor weak enough to ignore. I diligently stored my analysis of him in my database and remembered him because his words had left a strong impression in my mind.

‘Hunters can become several times stronger, depending on whether they have the right equipment or not. And also depending on the quality of the equipment.’

This applied not just to Hunters but to all Awakened people with special abilities. So the Returnees that I had so much difficulty dealing with and exterminating in the past had basically fought naked without any weapons.

‘If there is a Returnee that could become an ally, this could help them. Otherwise, I can use the objects inside as I please.’

Either way, I wouldn’t suffer any harm. Normally, the strength of Returnees was estimated in comparison to the average strength of 1st class Awakeners. If they were as strong as 1st class Awakeners when they were essentially naked… How powerful would they become if they had weapons?

And how helpful would they be if I could command them? And wouldn’t powerful weapons that were mighty enough to make a 1st class Awakener into the ruler of a world help me drastically improve my current plan?

“Mr. Si-woo, this should be good enough! It’s a new subspace bag, and I heard that the space inside is as big as a warehouse…….”

“Okay, then get ten of those.”

“Ten? Do you really need to take that many…….”

“Yes, I do.”

I gave a know-it-all reply to Han Yeon-soo, who was swinging the bag she brought, looking expectant.

Ten subspace bags each the size of a warehouse. Han Yeon-soo looked a little puzzled when she heard my reply. I grinned at her and continued to speak.

“I’m not just going to get a few things. I’m going to sweep up every single useful thing in that world.”

* * *

“…This is serious. It’s much worse than what I saw on the news.”

Kim Seung-hyun gravely said while sifting through the scene with his hands. Zhang Wei and Kim Seung-hyun were in the area where the first Returnee had appeared.

“I agree. I didn’t expect it to be this bad either.”

The asphalt roads were completely ripped inside out. Roadside trees were pulled out of the ground with their roots exposed, and the Hunters in charge of the area were cleaning up the ruined streets. It must have been some time, but there was still a strong smell of blood. It meant that the actual damage was much more severe than what was reported on the news.

“You can’t just come in here.”

A Hunter rushed toward Kim Seung-hyun and Zhang Wei as they were observing the scene and spoke.

“Oh, we’ve got permission.”

“Permission?”

“Yes, I’m Hunter Kim Seung-hyun, and this is Hunter Zhang Wei. I believe Hunter Jeong Si-woo obtained permission to provide support?”

“Hunter Jeong Si-woo… Oh, you arrived earlier than expected. Yes, you can come this way.”

The Hunter clapped his hands as if he had just remembered. He led the way, and Zhang Wei and Kim Seung-hyun followed.

“The situation looks worse than I thought. From what I heard, it wasn’t this serious.”

“Since the initial report, two more unidentified assailants appeared here. They were much more violent than the first person who caused trouble. Apparently, half of the Hunters in charge of the district were killed, and many civilians died as well.”

“Two more… So three incidents happened in the same place?”

“Yes, that’s right. An Analysis expert from the Association came by and said that the mana concentration around this area was abnormally high. Apart from that, the expert couldn’t find anything else that was strange…….”

“…….”

“It’s not a Rift, so I don’t know why it matters that the mana concentration is high. I mean, I’ve never seen anyone from the Association do their jobs. Phew.”

The man sighed as he complained. Kim Seung-hyun, hearing what the Hunter said, glanced back. His gaze seemed to say, ‘That’s it, right?’

Zhang Wei nodded at his expression. The Hunter didn’t know because he didn’t have any information. But as soon as Kim Seung-hyun and Zhang Wei heard that the mana concentration was high, they could tell why so many Returnees had appeared here.

Kim Seung-hyun intentionally slowed down and kept his distance from the man. He walked next to Zhang Wei and muttered quietly.

“Remember what Si-woo said? That Returnees are people who have come back to Earth from a different world. That it’s sort of a phenomenon caused by a Dimension Distortion.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know if it’s because this is the first place it happened, or if there’s something wrong with the area… But it looks like the Returnees will continue to be a problem here.”

“I know. Once the mana concentration has risen, there is no way to control it. If we don’t solve the fundamental problem, the Returnees may end up gathering here.”

“Um… We’re both bad at finding out problems. Do you think we can do it?”

“I don’t know. To be honest, I think calling Mr. Jeong Si-woo will be the fastest way.”

“… Let’s leave that as our last resort, and let’s take a look first.”

Thump, thump.

“Hurry up! The situation here isn’t that laidback, so you’d better move quickly.”

“Oh, yes. I’m sorry.”

Kim Seung-hyun, who was walking slowly, picked his pace back up.

And after some time.

“Here you are.”

The man who was diligently walking ahead stopped.

“This is the place where the unknown individual first appeared. He flew from here to all the way over there and smashed everything in between.”

“…….”

“The second and third individuals all appeared in the same place. If you look at the CCTV footage, they appear suddenly as if they fell from the sky. Those smartass experts haven’t been able to figure out how they appeared yet.”

“Oh….”

“Well, would you like to take a look around yourself?”

“Yes, I will.”

Kim Seung-hyun started to move at the man’s words.

Crunch.

He stepped on the broken pieces of concrete and crossed over the ‘No Entry’ sign. He could smell dust. He stepped forward without hesitation and started to look for any evidence.

‘…Ugh.’

The deeper he went inwards, the more difficult it became to breathe. It was a sensation that only an Awakened person could feel. It meant that the mana concentration had increased exponentially. The concentration was higher than inside a Rift. Without hunting suits, Hunters below a certain level would hardly be able to stand upright.

“Mr. Kim Seung-hyun, is there anything wrong?”

He heard Zhang Wei’s voice coming from the back.

Kim Seung-hyun opened his mouth to say something in reply, and….

“……?”

That instant, his body froze.

“What is that—”

Kim Seung-hyun uttered stupidly. He was standing inside the no-entry area, looking up.

“Mr. Kim Seung-hyun, are you sure you’re okay? Damn, did you discover anything inside there that had to do with status abnormalities?”

“N-no. Other Hunters went in and out, but they didn’t have any issues.”

“…Mr. Kim Seung-hyun, come on out! Get out of there right now!”

Zhang Wei shouted. He didn’t know what was going on, but one thing was for sure. If Kim Seung-hyun stayed in there, he would be in danger.

“Oh….”

Kim Seung-hyun dazedly stared at the sky. It wasn’t visible to others, but he could clearly see it.

The sky split apart, and he could see a beautiful world beyond the torn hole. In that world, countless people holding weapons fought against each other. Blood splattered, and people screamed. Kim Seung-hyun couldn’t take his eyes off the strange sight.

From the cracks in the broken world, something shaped like a human slowly creeps out. Covered in blood, the being that devastated the once beautiful world squeezes through the gap.

-I want to go back… I want to go back home…….

A strange voice resonates in his ear. Kim Seung-hyun’s eyes lost their focus.

The being endlessly repeated that he wanted to go back home. He came out of the hole, throwing off the things he was wearing. And as if he was falling down a cliff, he gave himself to gravity and dropped downwards. His shape becomes clearer and more distinct as he nears the ground.

“…Hargh!”

Kim Seung-hyun instantly came to his senses. But it was too late. When he opened his eyes properly, what he saw was a being that had already approached his head from above.

A human covered in blood, with empty eyes. There was no time for Kim Seung-hyun to move. Kim Seung-hyun collided directly with the falling person.

Craaack.

“Cough….”

Kim Seung-hyun’s neck bent at a strange angle. Blood spurted out like a fountain, and Kim Seung-hyun creaked like a broken robot and collapsed.

Kim Seung-hyun’s body was much stronger than ordinary humans, but it could not handle the cannonball-like collision. Anyone who saw what happened would have deemed Kim Seung-hyun dead.

“I said, get out!”

And if the extraordinary healer Zhang Wei hadn’t been there, it would certainly have been so.

“Mr. Kim Seung-hyun, get out!”

A light flashed. Smoke rose from Kim Seung-hyun’s body. The broken bones reassemble, and the collapsing body is forced back together and regenerated. It was as if someone had turned back time. Kim Seung-hyun’s dull eyes lit up again.

“If you can’t get out, hold up your shield!”

Kim Seung-hyun’s mind raced. In front of him stood a Returnee who looked unscathed even after the collision that had just smashed his skull.

It was common sense to run away as quickly as possible. But could he get away at this distance? And if he did, could he protect the other two people? He didn’t even know what kind of ability this man had. It would be better to deal with him now, at this close distance.

Yeah, let’s fight.

‘Since Zhang Wei is here anyway, I will never die unless my body is broken down into particles of dust.’

He grabbed his shield and swung it at the man who had suddenly appeared. It was a bold move that blocked his view and attacked him at the same time.

Swoop-!

Instead of stepping back to avoid the threatening attack, the man simply swung his arm. Was he trying to break the shield? Was he that confident?

Kim Seung-hyun smiled faintly. The Returnees were said to be stronger than 1st class Hunters. They definitely could be intoxicated by their own strength. And under normal circumstances, they could break a shield like this with a single punch.

Claaank!

[‘Loyalty’ has been activated.]

But it didn’t work. Because Kim Seung-hyun can perfectly defend himself once from any attack.

“Haaarghh!”

Once Kim Seung-hyun blocked the attack, he immediately swung his shield and pushed the enemy away. But the man didn’t show any signs of surprise as he was pushed back by the shield.

“…You blocked me with that flimsy thing?”

Rather, he looked like he was having fun.

“How interesting. While I was over there for so long, I guess something must have changed in this world as well.”

* * *

“…Well, it doesn’t look much different from the insides of a Rift.”

It was a pretty bland statement to be the first impression of entering another world. But there was no time to relax. I grumbled as I walked on the muddy ground.

“Um… Si-woo, you know this place, right?”

“No, I know a lot of things, but I don’t know anything about this place.”

“Then why did you come in so carelessly!”

“You followed me in. You should have asked in advance.”

“I… I assumed you would know…….”

Han Yeon-soo scratched her head and mumbled quietly. Well, I did come in rather recklessly. I was just focused on how great the Returnees’ possessions would be and what I could earn from beyond the hole.

I didn’t take into account the fact that I didn’t know this world. I was too used to knowing everything.

“Si-woo… we’re here to find something, right?”

Yoo Ji-yeon, who was sitting on the edge of a cliff outside the forest, spoke with a bewildered look on her face.

Han Yeon-soo and I turned to look at her, and Han Yeon-soo soon laughed half-heartedly with a look similar to Yoo Ji-yeon’s.

“How… how do we find it here?”

Under the cliff and beyond the end of the forest, there was an empire.

An enormous country that was so big that I couldn’t fathom its size. Looking at the country that was reminiscent of the Middle Ages, I also smiled awkwardly along with the two.

“… It’s huge.”

I didn’t know it would be this big.

It looked like I was going to have a pretty hard time.