The Hero Has Returned

Chapter 3 - Identity (1)

If you want to understand a person, look at what angers them.

It was a phrase I read in a comic book, but it was one that applied to me as well.

I lived in a house where disgusting swarms of ants would often crawl on the floor, and cockroaches would fly around, flapping their wings.

Just looking at it, a sense of revulsion would creep up from deep inside my chest.

That's right. To me, bugs were a symbol of poverty.

Thinking about it carefully, I don't think I'm normal either.

To think that the very first thing I do after being reincarnated is go to work.

I didn't even get to catch up with my family.

The Awakened's Balance, the Hero Skill Shop.

I haven't even properly figured anything out yet.

On the other hand, it also made a certain sense.

Heading to work as soon as I opened my eyes was a kind of unconscious habit.

Having followed a set routine right after waking up for nearly 30 years, I had boarded the bus just like any other day.

I've been rambling on, but to get to the point.

I do not like that pill bug.

That's it.

"Kkegegek!!!"

While Big Lava was rampaging, the bus driver got to his feet.

"Get off, quickly!"

It was a tense situation where you couldn't know when the monster might charge.

The cell phones of those inside the bus rang simultaneously.

The so-called Emergency Disaster Alert.

—[Crisis-Grade Appearance!] Please evacuate swiftly from the Sineunggyo Bridge area in Eunpyeong-gu.

Monsters are classified by their danger level, rising from , , , to .

Looking at its disaster level alone, Big Lava was on the weaker side, but it was more than enough to threaten the lives of ordinary people.

"Help me!"

shouted a pregnant woman whose belly was swollen like a mountain.

Dressed in a large maternity dress, her ankle was pinned between the broken bus seats.

"Mom!"

The little boy with the pregnant woman, his face starting to crumple, burst into tears.

I was reminded of my younger brother's wife from my past life.

She had been pregnant, too.

My body, which had been standing there blankly, moved on its own.

Using a broken bus rail as a lever, I pried the seats apart.

"Pull it out! Hurry!"

"...Ah, yes.”

Her body trembled as she sobbed.

Anyone would react this way after being attacked by a monster.

The pregnant woman limped as she took my hand.

She stared intently at my forehead.

"There's blood on your face... Just a moment. Use this, at least."

The pregnant woman took out a purple handkerchief and wrapped it around my forehead.

I supported her, and with my other hand, I held the child.

Like that, we made it safely out of the bus.

The outside was, for all intents and purposes, a chaotic mess.

The road was congested due to the sudden traffic accident.

Horns blared from here and there, and those who had escaped the overturned bus moaned, having sustained minor or major injuries.

Big Lava squirmed and rolled its body into a ball.

Frozen by a learned fear, no one here dared to make a move.

"Out of the way!"

With a booming voice, a large-bodied man walked out.

Is it an occupational hazard? Even in this situation, the equipment he was wearing caught my eye.

The suit he's wearing is the Tk.4 model, a product that was recalled in its entirety and discontinued shortly after its release when radiation was detected.

"Don't you worry, because I am here!"

He struck his helmet forcefully with both hands.

That helmet is probably the latest model at this point in time, when I've returned.

It was made of a new material infused with wyvern scales, making it light and granting it considerable defensive power.

Having spent my whole life making Hunter equipment, I've developed my own unique standards for judging people.

Humans who equip themselves with such flashy and expensive armor are generally overconfident and arrogant.

"Tsk tsk! Making such a fuss over a single Big Lava."

...And they talk a hell of a lot.

"It's Seo Gwang-pal."

"The Man of Great Strength, Hunter Seo-!"

"Ah... Of all people, why someone from the Dio Guild?"

At the Hunter's appearance, the people's reactions were subtly divided.

There were those who cheered, but there were also those who frowned overtly.

I don't know much about this Hunter named Seo Gwang-pal.

I feel like I've heard the name before, but it's hazy.

However, I had a clear memory of the Dio Guild.

Dikaiosyne, or Dio for short.

It's a Greek word meaning 'justice'.

Contrary to the grand cause of justice they champion.

The Dio Guild was famous for its unique recruitment process.

Even if you had a criminal record, you were given an interview opportunity as long as you had Awakened.

And even if your character was vile, as long as you were qualified, anyone was hired as a Hunter.

Seo Gwang-pal's smile vanished as he walked over to the citizen who had been bad-mouthing him.

"What? You got a problem because I'm from the Dio Guild?"

He took a silver hip flask from his inner pocket and took a swig.

I didn't know what the contents were, but judging by his flushed face, it didn't look like water.

"Fuck. I ran my ass off to get here, and you're already killing the vibe from the get-go."

"No, that's not what I meant..."

With a sharp smack!, the man went flying.

Seo Gwang-pal had just slapped him across the face.

"You're the one getting help here. Stop flapping your gums and just quietly stay put."

As Seo Gwang-pal glared down menacingly, the man clutched his reddened cheek and lowered his eyes.

How was something like this possible?

Hunters were a privileged class.

Property damage, destruction of assets, assault, etc.

For any mishaps that occurred during battle, they could usually avoid responsibility.

Although a preposterous scene had just unfolded, everyone just swallowed dryly.

They might face retaliation if they got on that bastard's bad side.

In the suffocating atmosphere, not a single person stepped forward.

'At this rate, people are scarier than monsters.'

I know it too.

Character and skill are not proportional.

I also didn't favor the dichotomous way of thinking that divides justice into good and evil.

Because reality isn't that simple.

However, when a piece of trash that should never hold power gets their hands on it...

"Hup!"

Seo Gwang-pal picked up a car from the road and hurled it at Big Lava.

In the process, shards of asphalt flew toward the citizens.

"Kkeuak!!"

Sharp fragments narrowly missed the people.

It could have easily caused serious casualties, but Seo Gwang-pal didn't seem to have their safety in mind in the slightest.

"Iron Head Skill!"

Seo Gwang-pal headbutted Big Lava's torso.

From the impact, Big Lava was sent flying far into the distance.

"Keke."

The man gave a satisfied smile, then took out his hip flask and took a sip.

The brown liquid, which looked like whiskey, trickled down his neck.

Drinking while hovering between life and death.

To think we have to rely on a bastard like that.

'This is fucking unbelievable.'

Why does the Hunter Association just leave an insolent bastard like him and the Dio Guild alone?

It must be because they're short-staffed.

Gates opened up almost every other day, and monsters popped out as frequently as people eat meals.

Compared to that, Hunters were a precious human resource.

Even existing Hunters would become paralyzed overnight or end up as monster fodder.

It was like turning on a faucet in a desperate search for water to quench a burning thirst, only to get just enough to wet the tip of your tongue.

The demand was urgent, but the supply was as small as a mouse's tail.

"Time to start wrapping this up."

Seo Gwang-pal muttered, wiping his mouth.

Big Lava also seemed to be preparing for something, gathering its body more meticulously than ever.

The only difference from before was.

Kang!

Spikes sprouted from all over its body.

The bone needles of Big Lava, which radiated a menacing aura, looked powerful enough to pierce through solid armor.

Seeing this, Seo Gwang-pal's eyes wavered.

"Damn it."

As if sobering up, the man took a step back.

Big Lava let out a monstrous scream and charged toward Seo Gwang-pal.

Seo Gwang-pal hastily twisted his body to dodge to the side.

"This is Dionysus, requesting backup! A mutant has appeared! I can't handle it alone! Get your asses over here now!"

A monster mutant.

It's a mutation phenomenon that occurs with a very low probability.

It's characterized by the emergence of a new skill, and its disaster level also rises by one rank.

In other words, it was no longer , but .

As the Hunter they had trusted tucked his tail as if to flee, the onlookers' faces filled with terror.

"S-Somebody save me!!!"

The people, now like herbivores before a predator, scattered in all directions.

Just as I too was about to move my feet.

Slips.

The purple handkerchief tied around my forehead had loosened, covering one of my eyes.

When I turned my head, the pregnant woman came into my narrow field of vision.

Her ankle was injured, and she was holding her young son.

If I move out of the way now, the pregnant woman and the child will be brutally struck by Big Lava.

Crash!

As Big Lava charged forward without hesitation.

The pregnant woman put the child down and pushed him with a desperate hand.

"Jin-oh-ya. Run!"

I grew up under my grandmother's care from a young age, without receiving my mother's love.

If there is such a thing as a mother's love, that must be it.

"No! I wanna stay with Mom!"

The struggling child dropped something.

In the chaos, I hadn't noticed, but the kid had been clutching it tightly this whole time.

What fell to the ground was a hero toy wearing a steel suit.

"......"

The screaming child's face overlapped with the image of my own eight-year-old self.

At that moment, something inside me awakened.

I calmly untied the purple handkerchief from my forehead and used it to cover my face.

As if I were wearing a mask.

I slowly turned and stood facing Big Lava head-on.

I clenched my fists and lowered my stance.

The hero I admired the most, who wore a purple mask.

His name was Zin Shak.

He was a man who would not shy away from death to protect his beliefs.

It wasn't that I was trying to throw my life away recklessly like Zin Shak.

It was reckless, but there was something I was counting on.

[[ Hero Skill Shop ]]

1. Super Kid Series.

1)

: 1 million won per use.

The ability I purchased with my own money.

It would have been nice if I could have tested it beforehand, but I didn't have the luxury.

Still, I was sure it would be of help.

Since it has come to this, let's protect them no matter what.

Myself, and these innocent people too.

Big Lava's body drew so close it seemed I could touch it.

Whoosh.

I held my breath and extended my right arm in a straight hook.

[ Activating for the first time ]

As the text before my eyes vanished, a hot energy surged through my entire body, sweeping over me before gathering at the point of impact.

The point of impact shone with a blinding light.

Without realizing it, I squeezed my eyes shut.

SPLAT!!!

I felt the sensation of something bursting at the tip of my fist.

Something warm and sticky drenched my entire body.

Slowly, everything brightened.

The larva was blown to bits, its form completely unrecognizable.

Belatedly, chunks of flesh rained down.

After a moment of silence, the people nearby began to murmur.

"...Whoa. Who is that guy?"

"A new Hunter?"

"I've never seen his face before?"

It wasn't a particularly violent motion, but my excitement wouldn't calm down.

"Gasp. Haah!"

My chest heaved as I let out ragged breaths.

I blankly stared down at my clenched fist.

'I did it.'

I defeated Big Lava.

And in one clean shot, at that.

My whole body felt like it was floating with exhilaration.

To not rely on anyone else.

To solve a problem with my own hands, I never knew it could be this gratifying.

My past life flashed by like a film.

My resentful life, where I suffered from poverty and couldn't even protect my own family.

But in this life, at least...

I will overcome every obstacle with my own hands.

"Hey. Who the hell are you?"

An angry voice came from behind me.

"I had that thing all but dead, and you just popped out of nowhere to steal the kill? What kind of dishonorable son of a bitch are you?"

A foul stench of alcohol wafted from the mouth of the shouting Seo Gwang-pal.

"Are you a new recruit from Dio? When you see your senior, aren't you supposed to greet him first?!"

Seo Gwang-pal grabbed the nape of my neck from behind.

"I asked, who the hell are you!"

This time, I didn't feel anger.

Just a bit of annoyance.

Crack!

I lightly struck the bastard's nose with the back of my hand.

The state-of-the-art bulletproof helmet shattered into pieces.

Seo Gwang-pal couldn't even scream as he rolled a long way backward.

Beaten to a pulp, Seo Gwang-pal was slammed into the overturned bus, where he groaned.

"Kkeuek......"

You ask who I am?

I said, my face covered by the purple handkerchief.

"A hero.”