Everyone Else is a Returnee

Unlike the delusional old man, the meeting with Kang MiRae and the conversation, went very smoothly.

Yu IlHan talked briefly about what happened to him for a while, and she also talked about what had happened in the 3 months he was gone, so there was really nothing much to talk about.

The scheduled place was naturally, the 14th floor of Vanguard, which no one could enter and exit as they please, Fortunately, today was a meeting between just the two of them, without the annoying Na YuNa. There was no one to comment on the side, and as both of them were bad with relationships, they skipped all the trivial greetings and conversation and went straight to the topic.

“Destruction Demon Army, you say.”

“You should have heard about Transcender factions from Na YuNa’s Guardian Angel, right?”

“To a certain extent, yes...... So the number of things I should mind about is increasing. Although it’s a good thing that I will never have to go against a higher existence directly....... phew.”

When Kang MiRae sighed, Yu IlHan ended up laughing. It seemed that Kang MiRae became comfortable enough to sigh in front of him. She also realized that immediately and changed expressions.

“Sorry, please excuse myself.”

“Not at all. Anyone would sigh hearing that.”

“Pah, fuu.”

“Mir, be careful since your sigh may end up becoming a gale.”

Yumir was also at that place, in Yu IlHan’s arms.

Kang MiRae stared at Yumir for a moment due to the similarities between the father and son, before shaking her head and changing topics.

“Although I can’t say nothing happened on Earth....... There’s nothing that Mr. Yu IlHan would be surprised about. A few of the small countries collapsed, land became sea, nothing too serious. If you want the materials I-”

“Give me!”

“Give me!”

That was plenty surprising! And Yumir should really fix his habit of trying to copy his father.

“We couldn’t focus on every matter as there were too many monster appearances. Although it’s fortunate that there were no stronger monsters than the one that appeared in the Kantou incident, the quantity of incidents increased explosively.”

“It seems that’s the case from how strong the people got. You included, miss Kang MiRae.”

“Pretty noona strong! Strong and kind.”

Kang MiRae felt proud for a moment hearing Yu IlHan’s and Yumir’s praises before becoming dejected again. Only Yu IlHan would be able to give her such complex feelings on Earth. With confounding thoughts in her mind, she changed the topic once again.

“Next, it’s about the land that father talked about. The estimated statistics are already out, but I don’t think I will be able to do this as fast as the time we traded this building. There are too many people involved in this.”

“Take it slowly. It’s nothing urgent.”

“Yes, thank you for your understanding. First, I will give you the documents related to it as soon as I finish compiling them. Then......”

Kang MiRae closed her mouth. She had now finished saying everything she wanted to. As Yu IlHan had already talked to her about Vanguard, the conversation would end here. Truly neat.

However, why did she feel that he was aloof even though he was at such a young age?

Oh yeah, she thought of something to say. Kang MiRae licked her lips before speaking.

“The thing that father talked about, you don’t need to mind. It seems he got a little greedy after seeing how exceptional you are.”

“I’m alright. I’m instead worried that you may feel down because of it, miss Kang MiRae.”

“I......”

Kang MiRae was about to speak something, but she decided not to. Thinking about her father’s annoying face, she was afraid that anything she said would contain a strange meaning behind it.

Organizing what to say in her head, she opened her mouth again.

“I’m, also alright. Whether it’s father’s pranks...... or teases, I’m used to them.”

“.......You must have a hard life.”

“Noona, are you hurt somewhere? Should I fix you?”

Yumir figure asking with glittering eyes while leaning forward a little like Yu IlHan was truly cute, so Kang MiRae extended her hand to pat Yumir’s head despite the fact that Yu IlHan was watching.

“I’m not hurt. But thanks for worrying about me.”

“Kind noona. I’m hungry.”

It was a child’s privilege to sound cute despite saying two completely unrelated lines. Yu IlHan laughed and held him up high.

“Yes, daddy’s talk is over so let’s go eat now. I’ll take my leave since my child is hungry.”

“W, wait!”

At that moment, Kang MiRae stopped Yu IlHan with a shout. Both Yu IlHan and Yumir had widened eyes as they turned back. However, the one who was the most surprised was Kang MiRae herself; she didn’t even know why she stopped them either.

Now that she had stopped them, she had to say something. However, just as she was about to think about what to say, Na YuNa’s face popped up, and her mouth opened automatically.

“I, think that we’ve made a good relation with each other as colleagues. That is, as colleagues that fight against monsters. From the beginning of the Great Cataclysm, it’s been over half a year.”

“Yeah, well...... I also think that way.”

Yu IlHan couldn’t understand where she was going, but her words itself was very reasonable.

There were a lot of situations where they had to meet each other, and he had made the first-ever party in his life with her, and even traded a lot with her clan, so at this point, it was no different from an alliance.

There was no need for Kang MiRae to confirm that. At this point, they were considered colleagues.

Right? I can think that since she called that first, right? – thought Yu IlHan, who hated to leave behind any embarrassment for himself or discomfort for others by measuring the distance between them on his own.

However, Kang MiRae’s words were just the beginning.

“However, if...... we address each other so stiffly (formally), I think it may be a little uncomfortable.”

“By ‘address’, you mean......?”

As if having waited for it, she spoke very naturally and smoothly.

“I feel we are distant for nothing by addressing each other with surnames. There will be many more cases where we will fight together in the future, and as such I think we could swap to a friendlier term. Not to show it off to someone else, but as colleagues. Isn’t it fine to allow that? It will also be easier to communicate in battles that way too.”

Yu IlHan finally understood. So she meant they should call each other without surnames? Even though it hasn’t been ‘a year’ since they met! Social butterflies had a really fearsome communication method!

However, honestly, he felt quite, no, really happy. There was no one other than his parents and Liera that called him without his surname.

‘Colleague. That’s a word I haven’t used before.’

Was there anyone in the world who became a loner because they wanted to be? 1 Of course, there are moments when someone wants to be alone when they live busily with many people around them, but no one would want to be alone for life.

Rather, Yu IlHan was a special case since he had lived alone for all his life. It could be considered a Yu IlHan(unique) case.

However, that was until today. Here was a person who thought of Yu IlHan as her colleague.

The existence of people who had good impressions of him beyond the question of believe or not believe, was a truly thankful matter to him.

Of course, Yu IlHan wasn’t a loner for nothing, and would hate it if a stranger or a person he hated, called him without his surname, but on that side, Kang MiRae passed with flying colors.

“That’s good. If so...... Should I call you miss MiRae from now on?”

“Yes, Mr. IlHan. Please take care of me in the future.”

Kang MiRae’s expression was vividly brighter as she replied to Yu IlHan. Fuu, he was worried that everything would be just greetings until the end, but that was just him!

Yu IlHan grabbed her extended hand and gently smiled. It was a smile from the bottom of his heart.

“Miss MiRae gives me something new every time. I’m thankful.”

Hearing that, Kang MiRae’s heart thumped loudly once.

Yu IlHan’s sudden ambush! As expected of a Deathgod, despite not being in concealment. The problem was that the person in question wasn’t aware of it.

“That goes for me too. So, uh, yeah. I also learned a lot thanks to Mr. IlHan. If, you’ll please, uh, excuse me.”

Panicking due to Yu IlHan’s unexpected ambush, she stuttered a little while replying and entered the elevator without even looking back. However, Yu IlHan, who felt satisfied for acquiring another ally that he could call by name, he didn’t mind about that.

“Well, then. Let’s go eat.”

“That noona is pretty!”

“Compared to Liera, who’s prettier?”

“Liera-noona!”

Chatting loudly, the father and son left the room. Meanwhile, Kang MiRae, who was inside the elevator heading for 1st floor, was muttering in a small voice while putting her fist on her chest.

“I’ve got him first. This is fine.”

Then blushed while thinking about Yu IlHan’s previous words, before shaking her head again.

“Trade, this is a grade. A trade of each other’s lives....... Emotions are just misunderstandings. The ‘emotion’ I have is only admiration, and love is only my misunderstanding...... the heart beats are only because of arrhythmia.......”

Her soliloquy was good enough to make a song, but the person herself was very serious. However, there was no one around her to fix her misunderstanding. Even if there was, it wouldn’t really have help out that much.

Four days passed since then. Yumir levelled up to 65 during that time, and the elves raised their dismantling skills to level 65. Additionally, Phiria was just past level 76 for dismantling so she was ready to have a go at a 4th class remains.

“It’s finally over.”

“It really over?”

“Aah, His Majesty is truly amazing. Now that I’ve been enlightened on dismantling, I fear nothing!”

“Jirl, you aren’t enlightened.”

Underground workshop. Yu IlHan confirmed that there were no monster corpses in his bag after rummaging through his inventory.

Of course, he had long since dismantled the 4th class wolves. He had acquired 6 bodies, but only one produced a magic stone. Well, it was still a higher percentage than dragons.

There was a corpse inside his inventory, but that was Yumir’s mother, Lecidna. Yu IlHan was planning to cremate her when Yumir’s matured a little more

“You guys worked hard until now.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty. If you give us more work, then we’d gladly-!”

“It’s fine, just rest a little first. I’m going to activate the barrier as soon as I’m ready.”

“Yes!”

Yu IlHan put dragon meat and wolf meat in the bucket that was filled with 3rd class dragon blood. As he was about to be fed up with dragon meat, he was now trying a variation.

He had no confidence in succeeding, but there was plenty of time. Yu IlHan was sure that his recipes would increase if he tried changing the blood, and changing the meat, and a combination of the two.

“That looks delicious.”

Yumir was drooling in Liera’s arms as he looked at the bucket. They haven’t told him that it was dragon meat in the bucket. As such, Yu IlHan planned to not take out any of the meat during the two months. Dragonkin were well....... they should be fine.

“If the recipe solidifies, then I’ll give you meat until your stomach bursts.”

“Yeah!”

[This really is a workshop of chaos. Can’t you at least put away that bucket?] (Spiera)

“No, this is the most important.”

Rejecting Spiera’s request, Yu IlHan pushed the bucket aside after filling it with blood and meat, and took out a truly humongous piece of metal on the other side.

That item was the tool used to train Great Cosmos-severing Spear. Spiera was naggy about where to place that blob of metal, and even interrupted in schedule planning.

[You need to train in the spear for at least 24 hours.] (Spiera)

“I get it already.”

Next, he polished his metalworking tools including the anvil and the hammer, and fed a few 2nd class magic stones lying around in his inventory to give it more power. Continuing, he confirmed the information on what kind of equipments he had to make within the barrier by reading through the Vanguard homepage, and the preparations were finally done.

“That’s it right? Did I miss anything?”

[Wait, Yu IlHan. Someone is trying to enter the workshop.] (Erta)

Was Erta’s report. Just who when not anyone could enter the underground workshop? Yu IlHan retorted.

“You just need to chase them out.”

[But... they are recognized at as allies......?] (Erta)

While the angels and the human tilted their heads, the door to the workshop opened and someone came in.

Long curly, black hair and wolf ears that twitched between them. A glamorous body that was contrasting to the young-looking face. It was none other than Ericia.

“Master, I’ve returned after settling everything I had to do. I will now serve you by your side in the future.”

Her timing was truly perfect as if she had predicted that they were going to activate the barrier now! Does this girlie have a prophecy skill too?

Yu IlHan narrowed his eyes momentarily while thinking nonsensical stuff like that, but he ended up laughing anyway.

“Ok, that isn’t bad.”

“Isn’t what?”

Ericia tilted her head in confusion, but Yu IlHan didn’t mind her and activated the hourglass.

For two months, she would experience it herself.

Author’s notes

I, stopped time......! (Yu IlHan to the confused Ericia) (T/N: Apparently, a JoJo ref)

Heart thumping is due to arrhythmia : (T/N: Uhh, a Kampfer ref apparently)

It’s a historical moment. IlHan finally acquired a ‘human’ ally... T^T. I can only say that the plot has largely advanced forward! Although it’s unknown if Kang MiRae is also thinking of him as just an ally, but anyway, in IlHan’s view, it is like that.

What was that? Don’t all Koreans refer to each other with just the first names within an hour after meeting a stranger? Uhh, in fact, I still call an uncomfortable seonbae with their full name.... No, I’m not a loner!

Translator’s notes

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Translator: Chamber

Proofreader: Koukouseidesu