The Returner - Chapter 372

Krrrrr-!

 

Krooooaaar!!

 

Impossibly vicious roars and growls escaped from the inside of the Gate as black as the deepest abyss.

 

‘W-what’s going on?’ (Jo Ji-Woong)

 

Jo Ji-Woong stared at the Gate with a pair of deeply tense eyes.

 

He already had heard about a rumour that Yi Ji-Hyuk controlled monsters. That Ogre right before his eyes alone easily proved that assertion.

 

However, there was a massive difference between knowing the truth and seeing/hearing it with his eyes and ears first-hand. Just the growls leaking out from that Gate alone made him all shrivel up from fear.

 

“W-what was that noise just now?” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk also jumped up in fright and hurriedly asked Jo Ji-Woong.

 

“I, I’m not sure myself.” (Jo Ji-Woong)

 

Although he could guess, he wasn’t 100% sure about it.

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk then peeked his head outside the window to see just what on earth was going on here. He saw a pitch-black Gate in front of Yi Ji-Hyuk.

 

“H-hey, isn’t that a Gate?” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

“Yeah, it is.” (Jo Ji-Woong)

 

“W-why did a Gate suddenly appear there?” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

“Because Yi Ji-Hyuk can control Gates?” (Jo Ji-Woong)

 

“N-ng??” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk failed to understand what Jo Ji-Woong was saying and tilted his head this way and that.

 

However, it seemed that Seon-Mi was far more interested in something else at the moment.

 

“W-we will be safe if we stay here, right? Right?” (Seon-Mi)

 

Jo Ji-Woong couldn’t answer her.

 

Who exactly knew the correct answer in a situation like this one?

 

“It’ll be safe, so you can relax now.” (Jeong Hae-Min)

 

Jeong Hae-Min went ahead and gently consoled Seon-Mi. Seeing how the latter was so pale all the way right down to her lips, she must’ve been really terrified right now.

 

“W-we will really be safe?” (Seon-Mi)

 

“Yes.” (Jeong Hae-Min)

 

Jeong Hae-Min squeezed Seon-Mi’s hand tightly.

 

“Sure, Ji-Hyuk can be a bit unreliable, but at least when we’re talking about a situation like this one, he can be trusted sometimes, so you don’t have to worry.” (Jeong Hae-Min)

 

‘….Are you trying to say that we can believe in him or we shouldn’t even bother??’ (Seon-Mi)

 

That was so vague.

 

“Just sit back and relax. You’ll see.” (Jeong Hae-Min)

 

Jeong Hae-Min gently patted Seon-Mi’s shivering shoulders.

 

On the other hand, Yi Ji-Hyuk was observing the monsters madly rushing in his direction once more with a pair of narrowed eyes.

 

“It’s like, they are from Berafe, but not really….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Creatures that seemed rather familiar filled up the ranks of the incoming horde. Even if not all of those monsters were ‘made-in-Berafe’, he still couldn’t deny the fact that the frequency of monsters seemingly from Berafe appearing among the hordes had increased a lot recently compared to the first time he saw one.

 

‘I wonder, did the data I ask for come in yet…?’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

It had been a while since he requested for that data, so how come it didn’t land in his laps yet?

 

Sure, Choi Jeong-Hoon was really busy lately so it was understandable, but still.

 

“Well, when thirsty, you’re supposed to dig a well.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

While thinking that he shouldn’t bother Choi Jeong-Hoon but talk directly to the KSF’s director, Yi Ji-Hyuk extended his hand forward.

 

“Alright, then. You’re all hungry, aren’t you?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Since he had them confined to a remote island out of nowhere, his monsters must be really starving.

 

The old saying went ‘chicken instead of pheasant’, so even if they couldn’t eat humans, they should at least fill themselves up by devouring other monsters.

 

If he hadn’t branded those monsters with slave seals and forcibly made them recognise each other as comrades, then well, that island would’ve turned into a living hell on earth after they began devouring themselves.

 

Kuwooooaaaar-!!

 

Oh-Sik continued to howl out ‘Fear’.

 

‘You lucky son of a gun.’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

While his fellow monsters were starving on a remote island, he was busy gorging on pet food or tasty sausages in dog parks.

 

You wouldn’t find an Ogre with such a wonderful life than this guy in the whole world.

 

“That’s why it’s time to vent.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk snapped his fingers, causing the black Gate to emit ominous light. And a short while later….

 

Monsters issuing blood-soaked howls and screeches jumped out from the Gate, like water exploding out from a tap turned all the way open.

 

Kuwa-rahrahrahrah-!!

 

Kkiiiaaaahhhk!!

 

The roars and cries of monsters rocked the world.

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk began humming as he watched this spectacle.

 

“Now this feels nice.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

For some reason, those cries seemed to contain a certain something capable of heightening Yi Ji-Hyuk’s focus. When he heard the monsters cry, he felt a bizarre combination of his excitement rising up as well as this inexplicable comfort of having come home from a long journey.

 

“Hmm….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

While he was observing the monsters pouring out from the Gate, Doh Gah-Yun manning the rear addressed him.

 

“Contact with the defence command and the KSF, complete. Currently en route to provide support.” (Doh Gah-Yun)

 

“Tell them to don’t bother.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“….Why not?” (Doh Gah-Yun)

 

The corners of Yi Ji-Hyuk’s lips curled up.

 

“Them showing their faces around here will only get these guys agitated unnecessarily. If they don’t want to get ripped to shreds by monsters, tell them to don’t come.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“Roger.” (Doh Gah-Yun)

 

Doh Gah-Yun nodded her head and radioed in once more.

 

“…Still on their way.” (Doh Gah-Yun)

 

“The KSF?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“KSF, still waiting for a reply.” (Doh Gah-Yun)

 

“Hng.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk snorted unhappily. Now normally, it should be the KSF rushing here the first thing under the current circumstances, not the defence command. So, he was really not liking this sort of response.

 

“Rotten to the core, is that it?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Well, this was merely a job for them, so why should he expect a sense of duty from them? Such a negative side effect was an obvious end result when the government forcibly gathered anyone who was an ability user and had them enlisted to the KSF.

 

“Whatever. It’s fine.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

The soldiers showing up would get a bit annoying, but fine.

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk grinned insidiously at the monsters still rushing in the distance.

 

Didn’t the two sides look about the same in their numbers now?

 

“However, there’s a difference in quality, dude.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

One shouldn’t compare a ragtag bunch of monsters summoned haphazardly to a proper army commanded by Yi Ji-Hyuk.

 

For one, his monster army received his orders and moved systematically.

 

“I only know one tactic, though.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk cackled loudly. He pointed to his front, and his monsters waiting patiently issued vicious howlings and began dashing forward.

 

In the middle of a city, two groups of monsters were dashing towards each other.

 

Their seething, maddened screeches and roars utterly filled up the heavens.

 

“W-what the hell is that sh*t?!” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk freaked out and yelled at the top of his voice.

 

Monsters were pouring out from a Gate that Yi Ji-Hyuk had supposedly generated. And their numbers were now practically overtaking the other group in the distance.

 

“It… it’s a monster’s paradise.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

Even now, more monsters were pouring out from the Gate.

 

“That ain’t even a bloody hatchery, so what the….” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

His voice was now filled up with disbelief. He couldn’t help but suspect whether the scene before his eyes was even real or not.

 

After hearing that Yi Ji-Hyuk was going to fight the monsters, he was looking forward to seeing a flashy spectacle filled with Ether flying everywhere, kinda like those ability user promotional clips shown on TV. But this scene right now? It was more like monsters and a demon were baring fangs at each other while getting ready to fight or something.

 

“W-what should we do now??”

 

Others couldn’t figure out what’s going on here and could only press themselves tightly against the walls and shiver away.

 

Jeong Hae-Min was doing her best to calm them down.

 

“It’s alright, everyone. Those are on our side.” (Jeong Hae-Min)

 

“But, they are monsters?”

 

“Yes, they are monsters, but… friendly monsters, I guess?” (Jeong Hae-Min)

 

“………”

 

Kim Dah-Som slowly shook her head while looking at the diminutive idol. That woman’s brain sometimes spun so fast that she came across as genuinely wicked, but in times like this, she was like an utter moron.

 

“Ji-Hyuk oppa has summoned them.” (Kim Dah-Som)

 

“R-really? Can monsters even be summoned? S-so, if you think of it in gaming terms, then Ji-Hyuk’s like a tamer or a necromancer?” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

“….Gaming?” (Kim Dah-Som)

 

This time, it was Kim Dah-Som’s turn to become speechless. Never before in her life did she play an RPG or anything remotely similar to that.

 

So it wasn’t strange to see such a reaction from her when mentioning things like necromancers.

 

“I-in any case, I get what you’re saying.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk turned towards Jo Ji-Woong and asked.

 

“Am I right?” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

“Ng. More or less.” (Jo Ji-Woong)

 

Of course, this wasn’t the extent of Yi Ji-Hyuk’s powers if what Jo Ji-Woong heard was true, but for now, he thought it’d be for the best if the civilians were calmed sufficiently down first.

 

“T-they are about to fight.”

 

Monsters Yi Ji-Hyuk summoned and the incoming horde of monsters dashed towards each other, and began colliding violently.

 

KWA-BOOOOM!

 

Quite unexpectedly, a massive explosion went off when two hordes collided. Bits of monster flesh raining down could clearly be seen next.

 

“Euh, euh….” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk reflexively gasped out in disgust and shock. Sure, he had seen similar scenes in animations and movies before, but the real thing possessed far more impact than any make-belief, as it turned out.

 

Monsters were tearing, ripping, punching, and devouring each other.

 

“W-where’s my camera?” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk began looking for a camera in the middle of this situation, causing Jo Ji-Woong next to him to tut loudly.

 

“What now?! Of course I gotta film this!” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

“You can’t even sell the clips of monster incidents even if you film them, you know. Did you forget that it’s prohibited?” (Jo Ji-Woong)

 

“But, some still got uploaded in secret, though?” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

“….Those are illegal, you know.” (Jo Ji-Woong)

 

Jo Ji-Woong left Choi Chang-Hyuk alone and focused on the events happening in the distance while the latter busy filmed the occasion with his phone.

 

‘This is no joke.’ (Jo Ji-Woong)

 

A whole KSF branch couldn’t even dare to block those monsters and had to beat a hasty retreat.

 

In the past, something like this wouldn’t have happened – but recently, the size of a Gate didn’t necessarily indicate the actual power of said Gate.

 

Even stronger monsters in much higher numbers began pouring out from them, that’s what.

 

But then, Yi Ji-Hyuk was fighting them all by himself.

 

‘So, is this what being an NDF agent means?’ (Jo Ji-Woong)

 

It was called the internationally-acknowledged organisation of South Korea’s best and greatest ability users. Jo Ji-Woong was now coming to realise that the claim wasn’t baseless after all.

 

Just Yi Ji-Hyuk alone was like this, so what would it be like if the whole of the NDF was mobilised?

 

“Euh….” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

The thick stench of blood wafted in even to the distant reunion venue.

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk shifted his gaze over to Yi Ji-Hyuk next.

 

Monsters were ripping into each other to create a hell on earth, yet Yi Ji-Hyuk watching the whole thing play out looked completely unperturbed.

 

“Hmm?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk scratched his chin.

 

“Aren’t they surprisingly tough?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

He began tilting his head a little, because he now realised that his calculations were a bit off. According to his calculations, such a tightly-contested scene shouldn’t even happen.

 

Even if the gap in the monsters’ strengths weren’t that great, he was still controlling them, so his creatures should be able to exert much greater levels of power than the other side.

 

The monsters he controlled didn’t possess the instinctive fear of death all lifeforms were blessed with, nor were they scared of pain, either.

 

But then, there was not much of a difference between the two groups, which could mean either those monsters were stronger than he thought, or….

 

“….My side is weaker?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk tilted his head this way and that, then frowned somewhat after looking at Oh-Sik rampaging around unchecked in the middle of the chaos.

 

“But for that explanation, isn’t that kid way too energetic…?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

It was then, he suddenly slapped his hands.

 

“Ah!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

….They were far too starved.

 

Now that he thought about it, the monsters under his control had not been fed properly once after being summoned to this world.

 

“Ah. No wonder they were so frail.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Thinking to himself that, as soon as this event was over, he should send a herd of cattle to the remote island as food, Yi Ji-Hyuk raised his hand up in the air and formed hand signs.

 

“Well, that’s the story for later…”

 

Since he couldn’t feed them in the middle of a battle, he should do something else to strengthen them instead, no?

 

Wuuuooong!

 

His hand danced in the air, creating a massive magic circle in the sky.

 

“Go!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

He lowered his hand causing the magic circle to emit blackish light that flew into the monsters under his control.

 

Kuwaaaaahh!!

 

The monsters bathed in the black light screamed in sheer pain, before going completely berserk and rampaging around.

 

“These guys, still complaining after I buffed them up.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

The eyes of the monsters under the baptism of the dark magic turned blood-red. They then mercilessly pounced on the enemies in pure frenzy. The flow of the battle tilted in his favour in an instant.

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk watched this spectacle and nodded his head.

 

“A man has his face to worry about.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

As a man, he couldn’t sit back and watch the monsters he controlled pushed around by ‘naturally-occurring’ monsters.

 

It was then, someone quickly ran towards Yi Ji-Hyuk from behind.

 

< 372. That’s also not a bad idea -2 > Fin.