Kim Han, Returns (1)

‘Battlefield of the Gods’ 4th year, November 30.

Few were as surprised as Benialis to see a representative’s name rise into the air.

Bioss and Talis.

The two—who hadn’t been fazed even before facing the demon god—couldn’t sleep the previous night from anxiety.

They hunched over the list of deceased representatives that had appeared for the first time in three years and eight months since the Battlefield of the Gods began.

Moro, representative of the hunting god Cynegeticus—dead: fall.

Beri, representative of the courage god Feocia—dead: airway obstruction due to a mental disorder seizure.

Noah, representative of the night goddess Umbra—dead: heart corrosion.

…

…

Neo, representative of the earth goddess Humi—dead: tetanus.

“Nothing.”

“Not there.”

Bioss and Talis muttered and checked the sky once more. As expected, there was nothing.

Relief arrived, accompanied by another anxiety.

“Where are they dying?”

“First, let’s go find that battle-crazed bastard.”

They vanished from the manor at once and reappeared in front of the library.

As they entered, Shio brightened and asked for the results.

“None.”

“…Phew, that’s a relief.”

“But it’s a problem—we don’t know the circumstances.”

Relieved by Talis’s words, Shio flinched again; he could picture several scenarios implied by the remark. His face went serious at Talis’s follow-up.

“The communication crystal I gave the disciple… I skimmed it. Aside from long-distance communication and eavesdropping prevention, what other functions does it have?”

“I layered those functions with enhancement magic and added a tracking spell.”

In other words, that tiny communication crystal had four magics embedded in it.

“Tracking—chase or mapping? How strong was the enhancement?”

“It’s in the Chase category. The enhancement magic was stacked three times, so it would have been hard to break.”

The Chase is a directional magic that only indicates ‘this way.’ Mapping, by contrast, is a higher-level tracking spell that lets you perceive the target’s location as if marked on a map. Shio had implanted Chase.

“That’s bad. I poured some of my divine power into it too—though even that vanished four days ago, just before the disciple went silent.”

Talis’s words painted the same picture in all three heads: Kim Han collapsed on the outskirts of the Monster Belt after the Latens Cube self-destructed.

The three, transcendants even among transcendants, showed no sign of softening.

By day 56, the representatives manning the north gate had fully entered a resting state.

Heroic tales about Rebound Legion leader Kim Han began to spread.

Rumors—full of fantasy and longing—about the Rebound Legion swelled as well.

Lee Hyo-ju wore a satisfied smile as she ‘heard’ those rumors.

She was about to turn in after the fifty-sixth day.

“Time Stop! Lament!”

Lee Hyo-ju manifested her power, unleashing a skill toward a corner of the guard captain’s office.

A mysterious blue line linked Lee Hyo-ju to that corner.

Despite the divine-energy-laced skill, no impact sounded from the corner.

Soon the blue line vanished from her side—the quick afterimage slowly dissipating.

“Song of…!”

“Stop.”

Was someone there?

At a man’s voice, Lee Hyo-ju’s blue-glowing eyes twisted; tears welled in the murderous light.

“Uh, uh…!”

“When you were about to kill me you weren’t crying—now you are?”

“Mr. K-Kim Han!”

Lee Hyo-ju stopped time to embrace Kim Han, as if to keep him from slipping away even if this were a dream.

She squeezed him tight.

Her boldness didn’t stop there.

She ran her hands over his body, wrapped her arms around his neck, and even headbutted toward his lips.

All while time was stopped.

Lee Hyo-ju’s first kiss—at least she believed so, though strictly speaking it was a peck—tasted of blood.

Silent ‘Arun 2’ and I cut across the Monster Belt and headed for Exorsus.

The moment the distinctive silver ramparts came into view, a rush of relief at finally being back washed over me.

Unsurprisingly, the gates were firmly closed against the Monster Wave.

From the ramparts I snuck onto, I saw representatives gathered in small groups, chatting after dinner.

Those nursing simple beers with relaxed smiles didn’t look like they’d been fighting monsters all day.

The well-rested, glossy faces of those who’d had more than two days’ rest made it clear the Monster Wave along the northern wall had effectively ended after the Latens Cube’s destruction.

When I slipped into the guard captain’s office, the first clear sight was Lee Hyo-ju at a desk, eyes closed, concentrating as if manifesting Gwaneum.

Seeing her holding the fort despite my absence filled me with a proud, almost parental feeling—like a chick that had grown a bit.

Perhaps because of that, my stealth failed automatically and Lee Hyo-ju’s expression snapped to attention.

“Time Stop! Lament!”

She didn’t even ask who I was. Impressive.

At the same time she detected another threat and nearly failed while neutralizing the paired ‘Song of Light’ skill and an absurdly memorized Blue Dragon Scale.

Two months before the Monster Wave began, had I not gained 150 Agility through Talis and Bioss’s ‘training’—which triggered a title change and new abilities—this attack would have caused a disaster even if stopped.

“Congratulations. Your agility has surpassed the 2nd limit (150). Going forward, increasing agility will require backbreaking effort. As a reward, you receive 7 agility-only points.”

“The title ‘This sound does not come from the mouth’ has been upgraded to ‘Th-this is… Zero’s Domain?!’”

This Arun-esque title—childish and stupid as its name—had a tremendous effect.

‘Acceleration of Sense’ lets you think and move at normal speed while everything else slows—similar to Lee Hyo-ju’s Time Delay.

Even with Stamina, Agility, and divine power over 150, it only lasts about twenty seconds.

Fortunately she had thrown six Blue Dragon Scales, so during that window I retrieved the memorization without making a sound.

After I revealed myself to Lee Hyo-ju, she moved so suddenly it was like teleporting and embraced me; her embrace finally made me feel I was home.

But a sharp pain at my lips shattered that tender moment.

‘You—are you calling this a kiss or an attack?’

Tasting metallic blood, I couldn’t ask aloud and posed the unanswerable question to Lee Hyo-ju mentally.

Not just Lee Hyo-ju—every member welcomed my return in their own way.

Hazel approached lightly, hugged and kissed me; Naruan simply clung to me.

Mae Young-ryeong cried silently. Arun… I’ll skip that.

And Merus greeted me vigorously, proving even a lizardman can have dark circles.

Let’s keep it secret that I flew backward after trying to accept a hug and getting smacked by Naruan—some dignity as the ‘wise star’ remains.

Talis and Bioss suddenly unleashed Deicide and Destruction, startling the group.

I defended so easily that both my friends and the two attackers were stunned.

Only after those individual welcomes were completed did we have the space for a proper meeting.

“Violentia withdrew first?”

“Yes. But public opinion is turning toward Violentia.”

“I suppose. Why did Benialis become such an idiot? It’s so unexpected.”

“Yes?”

“No.”

Benialis had once climbed to the Seven Stars through sheer wit and scheming, but now he looked pitiful and foolish.

Moreover, Violentia had labeled me a person of interest, while Benialis ignored me.

I couldn’t fathom what had happened. As someone who’d just returned, I even suspected he was putting on an act.

“What about Benialis?”

I already suspected, but since it was a natural question I asked Lee Hyo-ju about the situation in Benialis’s camp.

“We expected over half to defect, but fewer did.”

“How many?”

“Three thousand.”

“How many representatives newly joined Benialis’s camp?”

“Five thousand.”

That’s a net gain—two thousand more representatives.

Benialis, whom I’d been spying on, had spent the day in a daze from the moment the dead representative’s name rose into the sky. In short, he’d been drinking the whole time, looking like a fool who couldn’t handle the unexpected.

Which means…

“Who is it?” I asked.

Lee Hyo-ju blinked.

“The representative who rallied Benialis’s camp?”

“…Ah. Sorry—I’ll find out right away.”

She gave me an apologetic look.

“No need to be sorry—I didn’t know either. More importantly, find out now. For sure. There must be a representative who rallied the group in place of that idiot Benialis. If it’s someone we don’t know, they won’t move conspicuously.”

“Yes.”

When Lee Hyo-ju finished, the others looked at me expectantly, like people waiting for a friend to open a suitcase after a trip.

I reported: “The Monster Wave’s over—limited to the northern wall. Beyond that there are still entities I can’t identify; let Talis investigate them. That’s all. Anyone hurt? Seems not. Oh—while on the wall I saw some rat-like scum. Lee Hyo-ju, round them up. If they resist, kill them. Brutally.”

“Yes.”

Her reply came with a painfully blue gaze, forcing even Arun and the others to take a step back.

I ordered the group to remain on the northern wall until day 60, and sent everyone out except Merus.

Exhausted Merus sat in front of me, sighing deeply.

“Tsk. What a sight….”

“Eek!! Isn’t all this because of Kim Han? How much have I suffered!!”

“…Yeah, you did well. And, strictly speaking, it’s your mouth that’s the problem. Ah, alright. Don’t get too excited… Anyway, how is it?”

I had asked Merus for a favor from the moment the Monster Wave started. Now that it was over, I wanted the results.

“Roughly twenty; at most fifty—that’s about the maximum.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then investigate their identities and prepare a separate place. Consult Hazel or Lee Hyo-ju if needed.”

“Eek!! Hazel? Lee Hyo-ju?”

What on earth had he been through?

At the mention of Hazel and Lee Hyo-ju, Merus broke into a cold sweat and looked around wildly. Then he squared his shoulders, clenched his fist, and swore he’d handle it himself.

“O-okay.”

“Thank you! Um… Mr. Kim Han, won’t you go see Mr. Shio?”

“…Ah—right.”

“It’s hard to smooth things over when older people get sulky…”

I stood and headed to the library, understanding Merus’s mutterings perfectly.