After returning, He became the greatest returner of all time

Episode 17
Episode 17 Return (1)

[You have reached 500 subscribers.]
[You have cleared the achievement quest.]
[You have earned 20,000 achievement points.]
[You have reached the target achievement points (21,600/2,000)!]
[The achievement shop is opened.]

The moment I saw the system message, I sat up straight.

I never thought I’d reach 500 subscribers this quickly.

It was faster than I thought.

But what was important to me wasn’t the number of subscribers.

I opened the system window to check the achievement store right away.

‘I’ve always been really curious about what kind of products there will be.’

On the first screen of the system window, which can be accessed through various settings windows, a new category called Achievement Shop was created with the [NEW!] notation.

It seems like the last update was only reflected now.

I touched the achievement shop out of curiosity.

But what appeared in the new window was not a list of products, but a message.

The content was as follows.

[The Achievement Shop is only available upon return.]

… … What does this mean?

I brought my eyes close to the one-line message and stared intently at it.

The system messages were intuitive as always, but not immediately understandable.

It can only be used upon return.

I looked back at the Earth reflexively.

The Earth was looking into space with a very serious expression on its face.

● : Mumble, mumble, mumble.

Judging from the status, it seems like he’s reading the manual.

It was clear that the filtered information had been unlocked.

I waited silently for Earth and tried to figure out the situation on my own.

Because there was nothing difficult in the message.

‘return.’

Ultimately, if you understand just this word, system messages will become naturally understandable.

So what does return mean here?

The word return meant returning to one’s original place.

If you look at it that way, my return location was already decided.

… … A destroyed world.

‘No way! Is that why the Earth didn’t become green?’

The thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Even though everything, including me, had regressed, only Earth still retained its appearance as a destroyed world.

Perhaps it was evidence that the timeline of this moment and the timeline of the destroyed world were connected.

I had a feeling that there was a high probability that my guess was correct.

Just then the Earth regained focus and looked at me.

●: This is quite an interesting situation, isn’t it?

It’s an expression that comes to mind somewhere.

Judging from his expression, he seemed to have a general grasp of the situation.

I threw out a guess of what I had thought.

“Do I have to go back to my original time zone to use the achievement shop?”

●: Huh? How did you know? That’s right. We have to go back to the destroyed world.

The Earth continued speaking with a serious face.

●: Now I completely understand why I was the only one who couldn’t rejuvenate.

This was also as I expected.

Perhaps the Earth is like a link between two time zones.

●: But the surprising thing here is that there are no restrictions on regression and return. We can repeat regression and return whenever we want!

The Earth clenched its fists in joy.

It was quite a surprise.

I can go back and forth freely as if I were coming and going from my own home.

But I didn’t feel like it was very beneficial.

“What good does that do for us?”

There are many things to do and things you can do after returning, but there are things you can do in the destroyed world after returning.

“ah.”

I realized it while talking.

Up until now there was nothing I could do, but from now on that won’t be the case.

“Achievement Shop!”

● : That’s right. Blue!

And to use those achievement points, you absolutely need achievement points.

What this means is that you can earn achievement points by returning, and you can use the achievement points you earned by returning.

From that point on, the two time zones felt clearly connected.

●: Aren’t you curious about what will happen in the future?

“I’m definitely curious.”

What on earth is going on?

I had no idea what to expect.

But one thing is certain.

Whatever I imagined, it will be more than that.

And there’s a good chance that it’ll work out in our favor.

●: Then let’s go right away!!

As the Earth stretched out its fist with fighting spirit, a pure white light burst into sight.

Just like when I returned, I could feel time collapsing and the world tearing apart.

And when I opened my eyes again, I was standing in a destroyed world.

With a body that was half-crippled, no different from a walking corpse.

It was a sudden return, just like the regression.

* * *

『December 31, 2042』

The desolate plain stretches out endlessly.

The post-apocalyptic world, where no one lived or had any civilization, was exactly as I remembered it.

​

“It’s empty when it’s definitely there and not there.”

I lowered my gaze and scanned the body.

The empty space of the left foot, which is replaced by a prosthetic limb, and the right arm, with only the hem of the clothes fluttering, are particularly clearly conveyed.

Well, is that all?

The wounds crawling all over your body and the organs that have long since lost their function will also be the same as before.

Because that’s all that exists here.

​

‘Either dying or already dead.’

After briefly enjoying the feeling of returning home, I slowly looked around the area.

I did this because I wondered if anything had changed.

Although the time spent in the past was about 3 days and I was still at the 1st star level, my life after returning was going in a completely different direction from my previous life.

It was like that from the moment I met Oh Woon-hyeok.

But I couldn’t find anything different from before.

Rather, it’s so similar to before that I feel like I’ve had a dream.

It felt like everything I had done was just scattered around in vain.

Of course, not all of them were like that.

“Thank goodness it wasn’t a dream.”

I looked at the Achievement Shop category that exists in the System Window.

Thanks to this, I was able to confirm once again that the past where I stayed and this present moment are connected in some way.

I slowly moved my fingertips towards the categories.

But he didn’t touch it and just stopped in front of it.

It’s because of this guy.

It’s too burdensome.

●: What are you doing without pressing it?

The Earth, right next to me, had an expression on its face as if it was expecting something.

It looks just like Santa’s face preparing a wonderful gift.

It’s the kind of expression that seems to anticipate the surprised look on a child’s face when he or she sees a gift.

Apparently, Earth now seemed to know what was for sale in the Achievement Shop.

Picking up a laugh, I went into the achievement shop and was finally able to check the list of items for sale there.

And for a moment I was speechless.

“…….”

Because I was wondering what this was.

I struggled to hold on to my half-blown reason and scrolled down and up repeatedly.

Still not understanding, I carefully looked through the overall list of products sold in the store.

But no matter how I look at it, I still don’t know what the situation is.

No matter how I look at it, it’s still the same.

No, the more I look at it, the stranger it gets.

The answer was not there.

I looked back at the Earth once again.

●: What do you think? Do you like it?

The Earth was smiling playfully.

You know full well that I won’t like this.

So I asked.

“What is this?”

No, more than that.

“Why are you selling this kind of thing?”

The Earth smiled sinisterly at me as I was confused.

●: Why not just buy it once? Pururun.

What difference would it make if I bought something like this?

I turned my gaze back to the list of products.

[Fist Axe – 200P]
[Stone Knife – 300P]
… … Omitted … …
[Bone Needle – 500P]
[Bone Necklace – 800P]
… … Omitted … …
[Natural Pigment – 1,000P]
[Cave – 10,000P]

It’s not just the product name.

The form of the product that could be seen in the preview was also so crude that it looked like something you would see in a museum.

Every single product was like that, without exception.

But one thing is certain: Earth is very serious.

That makes it even more confusing.

I honestly expected great things since it was an achievement shop.

A divine item or skill that exceeds the system’s standards, a consumable item with an extraordinary effect, or something like a celestial elixir that does not exist in reality.

No, don’t they usually give you something like that?

“What do you mean by a fist axe……”

●: First, try flexing with what you like. You earned a lot of points this time.

Flexra… … .

Wearing animal skin clothes and a bone necklace would make you look very wealthy.

It would suit my appearance very well, like a walking corpse.

I pretended I couldn’t win and followed the Earth’s words.

I don’t feel like it, but what can I do?

It’s not like I was greedy for items or skills.

In fact, just being able to go back and forth between the past and the present was a miracle enough for me.

You should be satisfied with that alone.

[You have purchased a fist axe (200P).]

“Okay, done. Plex-.”

[A return log is written.]
[Exchange. Purchase a fist axe.]
[200 experience points gained.]

The message that came to mind as soon as I made the purchase made me open my eyes wide, clutching the axe in my fist.

I know what a return trip is.

It would be something like a regression.

But what about experience?

As if answering that question, a system message appears again.

[Achievement Shop Lv.1 – 200/100,000]

I stared at the message with my eyes narrowed.

Let’s understand the situation based on the keywords written in the message.

I can exchange achievement points for experience by purchasing items from the achievement shop, and it seems that experience is tied to the level of the achievement shop.

therefore.

I guess I can collect this experience points to level up the achievement shop… … .

+
[Fist Axe]
Period: Paleolithic
Description: Made by cutting a fist-sized stone. It was mainly used for hunting.
+

What if you level up, does the Paleolithic Age become Neolithic Age?

I had one thought because I found this situation ridiculous.

And that was right.

●: The level of the achievement shop is intertwined with the development of human civilization. Through this achievement shop, we can catch up with the development of civilization that has taken place over approximately 2.5 million years from the Paleolithic Age to the modern era.

The Earth stood with its arms folded in triumph.

It was indeed a surprising thing.

Does that mean that as your achievement shop level goes up, you can also buy things like cars and buildings from the shop?

But that doesn’t give me motivation.

“What good is it if we restore civilization? I’m the only living human anyway.”

It’s literal.

Even if you buy a spaceship, you can’t go to Changwol because it exists in a different dimension.

Even if we re-establish modern civilization here, I’m the only one alive, so what can I do?

The Earth curled the corners of its lips at my grumbling.

●: That’s true now. But will it be like that in the future?

For a moment, I came to my senses as if I had been slapped in the face.

My heart pounded and goosebumps ran down my spine.

Because what the Earth was telling us was clear.

“Are you saying that the dead can come back to life?”

● : Similar.

Similar?

● : But it’s not the kind of resurrection you think it is.

“……then?”

● : It will continue from the past. The newly written times will reach here like waves, like a tide.

The earth looked deeply into my eyes.

● : And then you won’t be alone anymore.

The words of the Earth that I would not be alone buzzed in my head.

Those words came as such a huge shock to me that my head was dizzy for a moment. My cold heart was shaking greatly. I clenched my molars without realizing it.

The Earth continued to speak, rubbing my northern hemisphere as if patting my head.

●: That will be very important to you and me. This is the information we’ve unlocked so far. Let’s find out the rest slowly.

I bit my lower lip and slowly chewed on the words of the Earth.

What it meant by continuing from the past was that the past I changed would eventually affect the present.

The change is still small and doesn’t seem to have reached this point, but in the end, by changing the past, I can also change the present.

And this meant that a world that had already been destroyed could be revived.

I don’t know how or in what way it will proceed.

The Earth is also looking into its hand mirror with excitement, knowing that it will be possible.

I felt it clearly too.

perhaps…….

It seems like all those moments I’ve imagined could become real.

Not everything will go as planned, though.

At least a future similar to that.

Those dreamlike times.

I think I can live like that too… … .

So.

The moment when the past reaches here is beginning to be anticipated.

Because I didn’t know at the time.

That moment came much faster than I thought.

And that it would come to me in a way I never expected.