The Returner Chapter 17

"Mm…"

Already, four days had flown by since Yi Ji-Hyuk's return to the modern world.

Seo Ah-Young was frowning deeply while receiving the report on his movements so far.

"He hasn't stepped outside his home at all?" (Seo Ah-Young)

"Yes. There's not even a hint of him wanting to leave." (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Even Choi Jung-Hoon seemed quite vexed by this development. Really now, they needed the target to encounter some sort of an incident, or for him to roam around outside the house in order to study his patterns and gather information.

"Completely?" (Seo Ah-Young)

"Other than the first day when he went to a store right in front of his house to buy a phone, he has not come out of his house once." (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Seo Ah-Young turned her head and looked at the computer monitor.

And on it, she could see Yi Ji-Hyuk framed by the window of an apartment, busy in the middle of something with his computer.

Doh Gah-Yun looked at that and muttered.

"Illegal surveillance, stalking, a criminal act. An abuse of authority." (Gah-Yun)

"Please kick this kid out of here." (Seo Ah-Young)

Choi Jung-Hoon became quite sombre.

"And how should I accomplish that, ma'am?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Asking a non ability user to kick out an ability user - was she thinking of buying a nice coffin for him or something?

"Well, it's a good thing that he hasn't caused any accidents yet… But, he's a living human being, so in time, he will surely make a move on his own volition." (Seo Ah-Young)

"I concur." (Choi Jung-Hoon)

"Agreed." (Gah-Yun)

Too bad, Seo Ah-Young's thoughts were only half right.

Unexpectedly, the world hadn't changed all that much.

QUADRAKILL!!

Yi Ji-Hyuk looked at the giant words conveying information appearing on the computer monitor and formed a sinister smile.

It was a rather surprising thing to find the video game that he loved so much before his untimely send off to Berafe, had not only survived but it somehow transcended its previous small-but-rabid fanbase, to be ranked number one in terms of the amount of active users to become 'The Game of the People'.

Of course, the graphics had improved so much to a point where it almost looked like a different game altogether, and many things had changed as well, but Yi Ji-Hyuk didn't encounter much discomfort getting back into the groove of the gameplay.

No, wait - there was this one thing that did change drastically.

- WTF?! F**kface, what the hell are you doing over there? ***, ***!! You s**t!!

- Seriously, that's just too much.

- Let's do the 'Kal-surren'. ㄱ ㄱ (TL: "Kal-Surren" is, as far as I can tell, a gaming slang term used by Korean players in the League of Legends. Explanation at the end of the chapter.)

During the first 'season', Yi Ji-Hyuk was a ranker among the sparse number of the local Korean players, yet here he was, being subjected under a barrage of abuse by the bottom dwellers of the Bronze 6th tier.

"Just why are these kids playing so freaking well?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk looked at his character lying dead and smirked slightly. Of course, this was his first time playing in five years, so there was no way it'd end well. Good thing, then, his old account wasn't deleted; he was sure of his old skills returning once he played the game for a few more days.

"Looks like my hands have gotten all warmed up now?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

*SFX for chewing food*

Gulp, gulp, gulp~

He finished all the potato crisps and cold drinks his mom bought, and then, headed off to the veranda to enjoy a quick smoke.

"Whew-woo…"

He couldn't really get to grips on by how much the world had changed. Five years were a long, as well as short, amount of time to be absent, after all. It was too short to say with certainty that something had changed a great deal, but it was also too long to say everything had remained largely the same.

Besides the warp gates opening and monsters pouring out from within, there hadn't been too big a change. Even those warp gates were swept away by the collective firepower of modern weapons.

This was something he'd been thinking about during his stay in Berafe.

If Berafe and Earth were to wage war against each other, who might come out as the winner?

The most realistic answer was the 'mutual destruction'.

More than likely, Berafe's knights, sorcerers, and monsters would be totally helpless in front of the modern firearms. Most threats would be taken care of by small arms fire, while something slightly stronger would be taken down with support artillery.

The thing was, the chasm of the available firepower between Berafe, where a magician capable of flinging a fireball was treated as a high-class noble, and that of the modern Earth, with its abundant stocks of RPG-7 grenade launchers and stuff, was just simply far too great to bridge.

However, the situation would become a bit more uncertain, if stronger individuals entered the fray.

If a monster capable of withstanding a barrage from a tank appeared, then the Earthlings wouldn't be able to cope all that well. If 120mm smooth-bore rounds failed to make an impact, then the next logical step up was to use air-to-surface missiles. But just how effective could those be? In the end, bombers or surface-to-surface missiles would have to be mobilised, instead.

Even if such a scary monster was killed that way…

If the end Bosses from Berafe decided to join in, then that would be the end, literally. The defenses of dragons and high priests easily exceeded one's imaginations. Unless one was prepared to nuke 'em all to hell, it was the Mission: Impossible.

And, if the showers of nukes started falling just for the promise of that so-called 'mutually assured destruction', only a handful of dragons from Berafe might survive the onslaught, while humanity would be wiped out completely. And, even those surviving dragons wouldn't be able to adopt to the rapidly-changing environment and go crazy…. No, they would die, too.

It wasn't that humanity was weak, no.

No matter how amazing magic could be, the miracles of science, discovered by the brightest minds of mankind were still leagues ahead. Yi Ji-Hyuk was certain of it.

But the problem was, weapons of humanity were focused on instant 'mass genocide' and killing of the enemy combatants. While they may have created weapons capable of penetrating tanks and underground bunkers, could those very weapons be able to damage monsters with higher defensive ability than a tank?

It would not be easy.

Thankfully, the monsters appearing right now were only at the level of getting easily mowed down by the modern firearms. Also thankful was the fact that 'noble beings' called the ability users were on hand to kill tougher monsters as well.

In conclusion, there was nothing for Yi Ji-Hyuk to do here.

They were blocking out monsters well enough by themselves, and his parents were making enough moolah for the family to live comfortably. His younger sibling seemed to be living her life on her own terms, and every single one of his former friends had severed contact with him already.

He was worried that he'd have to live quite a busy life as soon as he returned back home, but rather unexpectedly, a relaxing life was waiting for him instead, wasn't it?

Yi Ji-Hyuk faced the breeze brushing by and grinned.

'Should be fine for me to take easy for a while, right?'

He too, would soon become the citizen of this world and live his life here. However, before that happened, though - it seemed he could relax for a bit. Well, it was a hellish trudge before this, so why not.

"I'm only taking a short break. A short one." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yes, play some games, read some books, watch movies I missed out, read some mangas and just like that, let me dive into the deepest corners of what the modern entertainment industry has to offer. (Yi Ji-Hyuk's internal monologue)

Another round of the game started once more, and Yi Ji-Hyuk enjoyed it to its fullest.

Of course, there were always some people out there who didn't share his sense of enjoyment.

- WTF!! Hey, you f*ck!! Are you blind?! Can't you see the chat window?

- He's the top 'Mister No Answer'.

- I knew he was trouble from the 'Pick & Ban'. Hey, let's go 'Open'. (TL: Oh boy, all these LOL slangs. TL notes at the end of the chapter.)

- Open, what Open? The round started, like, five minutes ago.

- Five minutes and three deaths already. Look at how fast he gets killed. Hell, deliberately throwing a match won't be as fast as this slob dying.

- Hey, you!! Where the hell do you live?!

Yi Ji-Hyuk quietly disabled the chat window.

You all wait and see!!! I'll soon shut your mouths up!! (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Five days after his return.

"My son! Are you playing a game right now?" (mom)

"Ng." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"You hungry? Mom'll prepare something soon, so let's eat then." (mom)

"Ng. Thanks, mom." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Oh, you finished all the snacks and cold drinks, too? Did they taste good?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Ng. After five years, they taste like nectar from the gods, you know." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Right, right, my child. Carry on, now. Mom's going to make supper." (mom)

"Ng!"

Yi Ji-Hyuk's hand gripping the mouse darted around quickly while mom looked at her son with a gentle smile etched on her face.

Five years ago, she really despised this very sight. But, after Yi Ji-Hyuk went missing, she came to miss it so much.

'What a relief.' (mom)

She was uncertain whether she'd ever get to see this day again or not. Madam Park Seon-Duk wiped away the tears continuously forming at the edges of her eyes and headed to the kitchen.

Seven days since his return.

"My son! Were you playing that video game?" (mom)

"Ng, mom!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"There, there. Are you hungry?" (mom)

"A little." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Mom'll cook you up something real quick, okay?" (mom)

"Ng!!"

Ten days since his return.

"My son! Are you still playing that game?" (mom)

"Ng, mom." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Have you eaten something before playing?" (mom)

"I haven't had the chance yet." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Okay. I know games are fun, but your health should comes first. Let's eat." (mom)

"Ng."

15 days since his return.

"Son, aren't you already sick and tired of that game? You're playing it again? Just what kind of a child plays the same game everytime I see him? Wait, you aren't playing this game the whole day long after I leave for work, are you?" (mom)

"No, I also do other things. Like, reading books." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Right. Still, you should do it in moderation. Moderation is the key. No matter what it is, overdoing it isn't good." (mom)

"Ng. I'll remember that, mom." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

20 days since his return.

"I told you to come out and eat already! Better come out here now, before I pull the plug on that computer!" (mom)

"Ah, it's nearly finished!! I told you, I'll finish this match real quick!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Quick? Real quick?! Have you any idea just how long ago it was when you said 'real quick'? Come out here and eat your food now, or I'm cutting the power off!!" (mom)

"Argh, really now?! And I was winning, too!!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

25 days since his return.

"I told you to clean out your desk! Is this supposed to be a human's bedroom? It's a pigsty!! I tidied it up in the morning before I left, yet why is your room all messed up in only half a day? Aren't you a human? A human being?" (mom)

"I'll tidy up. Later." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"That stupid video game!! At this rate, you might get sucked into the dang monitor. Crawl out and eat your food, before playing that game of yours!" (mom)

"Sure." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

30 days since his return.

"Aaaaaahhh!!! Mom, my ear!! My EAR!! Mom, ear!!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"I told you to eat your godd*mn food!! What, you love your game that much? Ah? Love this game that much?!" (mom)

"Mommm!! My ear! Your son's ear! It's going to fall off! Please let go of my ear!!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Aigoo~, my rotten fate. That wastrel of a husband is drinking away every single day, and this son of mine wants to marry his computer after coming back home five years later…." (mom)

"Mom, my ear's going to fall offffff!!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"And why would you need an ear, when you don't even go outside?!" (mom)

"Just how does that even make sense….. Ouchouchouch!!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Can't you at least eat first before playing?!" (mom)

Aaaand, it only took one month for her precious son, returning home after going missing and suffering untold hardship for five years, to become a computer parasite that only wasted away good rice.

"Ouch, mom! My ear's falling off!!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"How dare you shout at your mom?! You want to pick out your coffin today?" (mom)

"But, my ear is falling off, you know!!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Really, I should've thrown that stupid computer away or something!!" (mom)

Yi Ji-Hyuk recognised an urgent need to correct his attitude at this critical moment.

"Mother. This son has committed a grave mistake." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Will you just get the hell out?! You moronic fool!!" (mom)

"Hul."

It took only 30 days for Yi Ji-Hyuk's position to perfectly revert back to the one right before he was whisked away to Berafe.

No, hang on. Maybe, it reverted back a bit too violently.

< 17. What a "soya powder" family -4 > Fin.

(TL: A Kal-Surren is when a team surrenders as soon as the 20 minute time limit is up. A round of LOL can be forfeited 20 minutes after it begins, and when a team "surrenders" without any hesitation, it's called "Kal-Surren", at least by the Korean LOL players. Apparently.)

(TL: LOL's Pick & Ban - Koreans call it the other way around, Ban/Pick, for some reason - simply refers to 'banning' certain Champions from being selected by the opposing team, while 'picking' the remaining ones. If you're a LOL player/follower, then you should be familiar with the process, which, as far as I can tell, can become quite complicated and also plays a substantial part in a team winning the round or not. If you're interested, you can Google it, but beware, your head might explode if you haven't been following the eSport scene.)

(TL: As for this "Open" bit, even I'm not sure myself. I can venture a guess and say that the team MC stumbled into wants to start the round already, or maybe it's completely something else, but Google failed me spectacularly on this one and I have no clue. And well…. I'm too much of a lazy bone to ask around the LOL community…)

Chapter end