The Returner

Chapter 289: Well, let’s see if they can sort it out, then (4)

It was unknown whether the monsters possessed ability to reason or not. But one thing was for certain – if they did have one, it definitely flew out the window right about now.

Monsters stomped and trampled and smacked away everything in their path while not giving a d*mn whether it was their kin or not, in their attempt to get away from Yi Ji-Hyuk.

They ran on two legs, four legs, whatever.

If something got in their way, they simply trampled past it and ran. Some rolled on the ground, some crawled, and even if blood exploded like fountains, they continued to run forward.

Towards the North.

Further and further up north.

“Kekekeke.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk watched this spectacle with a heavy cackle. This was why those North Commies were told not to provoke the South.

Ng? I haven’t told them anything, have I?

Oh, well. Naught I can do about that now.

I mean, they should’ve been smart enough to figure it out without being expressly told, anyway. Especially in today’s tough world. (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

Yi Ji-Hyuk took one last look at the tsunami wave of monsters running away from him and towards North Korea, turned around, and walked back to his chair.

Sure, new monsters emerging from the Gates right now might become a problem, but it was more likely that they would follow the horde and head to the North, since they were dumb idiots to begin with.

He settled down on the chair and crossed his legs, before fishing out a cigarette.

Click.

He lit it up and breathed out a lengthy trail of smoke. Then, he waved his finger a little and pointed to his front.

From here on....

“It’s the monster defence time. Do your best to stop them, you dumb schmucks.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

*

“W-what is the meaning of this, comrade?!”

Rhee Jin-Cheol became utterly dumbfounded by the sight of the monsters rushing at them.

Indeed, what the bloody hell was up with this spectacle?

Why were these monsters rushing in this direction all at once?? And with such a maddened zeal, no less!

“What should we do?!”

Even if he was asked, there was no way he would have an answer.

Rhee Jin-Cheol was not someone who could ‘solve’ a situation like this one. Even if the dear Comrade Chairman personally show up here, he’d be unable to solve this crisis, either.

One thing was for certain, though; remaining here would mean that they would ‘disappear’ from this world with not even a scrap of flesh being left behind.

“Those sons of b*tches.” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

Rhee Jin-Cheol shuddered where he stood.

The thing was, even if he made his escape from here, his end would not change at all.

The Party had tasked him with defending against the Gates, and to also provoke the South ever so lightly, as well.

However, what if he had to give up on that and retreat?

Even if this was the reality of the situation, the Democratic People’s Republic demanded responsibility from those who failed to follow the given orders.

Sure, the brass wouldn’t hold every ability user here today accountable, but there was little doubt that they would blame Rhee Jin-Cheol. Under the pretext of not being loyal enough to the Democratic People’s Republic, he might even get dragged to the special re-education centre.

Even though he didn’t do anything wrong.

The terror from the monsters rushing in the front, and the fear of the Party standing behind him, served to blank out his brain for a moment there.

“Comrade!!”

“Stop nagging me!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

Rhee Jin-Cheol roared out and gnashed his teeth.

“Those stinking South Joseon sons of b*tches!!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

He wasn’t sure what they had done here, but without a doubt, he’d make them pay later.

“Comrade, we need to evacuate!”

“I said, stop nagging me, godd*mmit!!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

“Losing our heads in this manner is nothing more than a dog’s death!”

“You b*stard, keep your seditious c**p to yourself!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

“Forgive me.”

“D*mn....” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

Rhee Jin-Cheol roared out at the top of his lungs.

“Retreat!! Retreat now!!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

It felt like he was showing his back while running away to the b*stards from the South and that p*ssed him off, but for now, they needed to survive first. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that getting swept up in that wave of monsters would mean a certain death without a bone left to bury.

“Retre.....” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

Rhee Jin-Cheol heard the monsters growling right before his nose, promptly turned around, and began running at full tilt.

“Uwaaaaah!!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

He could hear the panting breaths of the monsters coming behind. Terror caused every hair on his body to stand up, and forced him to run even harder with everything he had.

“Uwaaaah!! Comraaaaade!!”

Unfortunately, not everyone could run as quickly as Rhee Jin-Cheol. Those with lacking physical attributes were quickly chased down by the monsters, and their ends were gruesome, to say the least.

Crunch.

Along with the chill-inducing noise, horrible screams resounded out. Rhee Jin-Cheol didn’t look behind him. He felt that he might lose his mind if he turned around to look at his comrades getting devoured by the monsters.

“Why?!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

He bit down hard on his lip and blood spluttered out from his wound.

“Why are they all coming this way?!?!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

He just couldn’t figure this one out at all.

*

“Hoh-oh?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk looked at the distant North Korean Brigade of People’s Ability Combat Force running away like crazy, and let out an impressed chuckle.

“Hey, they are quicker than I thought?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Choi Jeong-Hoon forgot what to say here.

‘How is this even possible?’ (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

He had been thinking that Yi Ji-Hyuk got something out during the battle against the demon king last time.

Even if that was true, he couldn’t even imagine in his wildest dreams that scaring away so many monstrous creatures was actually possible.

“Darling, what are these creatures? I’ve never seen them before.” (Erukana)

Erukana appearing out of nowhere sat on Yi Ji-Hyuk’s shoulder and asked him.

“I don’t know either.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Such creatures cross over to this world? Just what types of the dimensions are connected to this place?” (Erukana)

“I told you, I don’t know.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“You’re not interested, are you?” (Erukana)

“Tracing it back from this side is being blocked. Divinity is involved with those Gates, you see.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Divinity??” (Erukana)

“That’s right, divinity. So, detecting through Mana is impossible.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“H-mm, so, divinity, is it? Does that mean gods are involved?” (Erukana)

“Not sure.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“That’s like rat poison for you, darling. Wait, if it’s divinity, can’t that lizard woman trace it for you? Didn’t she receive some kind of blessing from that woman Latrel?” (Erukana)

“Can’t do, since it’s not Latrel.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“H-h-ng.” (Erukana)

Choi Jeong-Hoon next to them couldn’t really understand what these two were talking about. Also, he wasn’t even trying to understand them in the first place.

They had always been like this, so leaving them alone was probably for the best. Besides, the true issue he needed to solve right now wasn’t them.

‘What am I supposed to do about this??’ (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

As he watched all those monsters enter the North Korean territory, Choi Jeong-Hoon began feeling rather weird inside.

Something about this sight came across as rather refreshing to him, but at the same time, he felt worried about the future. Such a dualistic mind was busy lording over his thought process.

He felt good about the ones trying to provoke them first getting pummelled like that, but when he thought about whether the nation called North Korea was capable of dealing with that many monsters or not, he grew more anxious, instead.

“If they can’t, everything will go to hell in a handbasket.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

The ‘Collapse of North Korea’ scenario was often imagined by not just the politicians but by pretty much everyone in the spheres of influence at least once. However, none of them would’ve imagined that the collapse of the North’s regime began like this.

Sure, some probably did imagine the North collapsing after failing to deal with the Gates, but....

“Who’d thunk that I will be involved in the beginning of it?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

All because he stuck around Yi Ji-Hyuk as his job. He should feel honoured for witnessing such a historical event unfold, but right now, he’d like to decline such an honour if he could.

“....Excuse me, Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Ehng?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Will the North Koreans be able to deal with this?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“I dunno.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

A man shouldn’t be that irresponsible.

A man should have at least a modicum of responsibility, you stinking, rotting piece of human tr..... (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)

“Excuse me, wouldn’t the ramification our country might suffer later be enormous if the North collapses like this?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“I dunno.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“First of all, the refugees flooding in alone would be no laughing matter, so trying to handle that will be a back-breaking job.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“I dun....” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Yes, I get it! You don’t know!” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

You just cause incidents first while not giving a d*mn about consequences and what not! (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)

“But, that’s not true, you know?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Did you hear something?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Your thoughts?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

What a phantom-like b*stard.

Choi Jeong-Hoon shook his head.

“Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Ehng?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I will stop fooling around and talk to you seriously from now on.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“But, I’ve been serious this whole time?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

....You were?

Choi Jeong-Hoon was tempted to make a retort here, but he was smart enough to know that now wasn’t the time.

“People are dying.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“I sent them there for that purpose.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“....Of course, I also find them detestable. Yes.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Really? I didn’t feel that way, though.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Ng, I too don’t feel that way anymore.

Right now, I find you utterly hateful, instead. (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)

“I agree that they should be punished appropriately for provoking us in the first place.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Okay, so?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Choi Jeong-Hoon’s voice became even more serious.

“However, the North Korean citizens.... Calling them citizens sounds a bit off, so let’s call them regular people. They haven’t done anything wrong. If monsters rush up north like that, not just the ability users but the regular, powerless civilians will also be affected.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Okay, so?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Well, it wouldn’t do to harm the innocent regular people, don’t you agree?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Yi Ji-Hyuk tilted his head.

“Why not?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Choi Jeong-Hoon grinned refreshingly.

I knew you’d say that!

“If innocent people get hurt, it’d be our fault, wouldn’t it?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Nope, wrong.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Excuse me?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Honestly speaking, it’ll be my fault.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“....So, you know.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“That’s why I say, just let them be. If someone raises a fuss, tell them I was responsible.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“B-but, innocent people are.....” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Argh, just tell whoever that I killed all those innocent people. Okay?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Choi Jeong-Hoon recalled the truth once more.

‘Ah. This guy was insane to begin with.’ (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon got to reaffirm the obvious and unshakeable truth that common sense didn’t work on Yi Ji-Hyuk, and he decided to change his approach.

“Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, it’ll get annoying for you, too!” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Ehng?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Number of Korean citizens will increase, you see. Meaning, you’ll now have to protect more people.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Well, I’m supposed to protect the land they are on, so it’s fine.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“We might even encounter daily necessities crisis! A situation where you can’t even buy Cola might happen!” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Really?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk’s eyes went extra-round next.

That would certainly sting him a bit.

“Can’t I just hop over to America and buy it there?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Oh....” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Now that I think about it, he can go anywhere he wants to, can’t he?

What a bloody cheat character. A d*mn cheat character! (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)

“Public order will fall, the relationship with China will worsen, an exorbitant amount of people’s taxes will have to be spent and make it harder to provide social welfare, and the economy’s growth will.....” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Are you running for President?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I also kind of felt that way while saying those things.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“You certainly are suited to that field, though.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“....Thank you.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

T-this isn’t it.

How did I veer off-course this much? (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)

“In any case! If we leave that alone, then North Korea’s system will collapse!” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Ehh~. Oh, well. I guess that will happen.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“That’s why we need to stop it!” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“And how should we do that?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“....Well, that’s something for you to come up with, Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Wowsers.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Stop looking at me with those eyes.

I know what I said was pretty irresponsible. I already know!

If I was an ability user, then I wouldn’t be doing this right now, you know! (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)

“Ehehe, Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, there’s no one but you who can solve this.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon discarded all of his manly pride and clung onto Yi Ji-Hyuk. They might have been chatting in a playful manner for a bit now, but truth be told, this was a serious situation, indeed.

“Eh, well. Sure. However....” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Yes?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Even if I wanted to do something, I can’t, because I can’t vacate this spot, you see?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“How come?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Look over there.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Choi Jeong-Hoon looked at where Yi Ji-Hyuk was pointing at, and discovered the Gates all vibrating unstably.

“Uh.....” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Why are they vibrating?

Are there more still to come?

So many monsters came out already, so what can possibly come out now.....? (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)

“....Ah. The boss mob.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“This ain’t a dang video game, so what’s up with ‘boss mob’??” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“But, I thought it was a rather appropriate name, though....” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Agreed.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk grinned and stood up from his seat.

“Let’s deal with those first and then worry about what happens next.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yup, that we should.

Because, forget about North Korea, it’ll be us collapsing if we fail to deal with those. (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)

Choi Jeong-Hoon spat out a lengthy groan.

< 289. Well, let’s see if they can sort it out, then -4 > Fin.