How a legendary returner lives

“Domain Declaration? Not ‘Domain Expansion’?”

“Yes. It’s Domain Declaration. Within that domain, he has absolute influence over the environment. For example, he can erase air or mana.”

“If it’s my sister, she could just attack from a distance with that shining orb, right? I saw that her range is quite long.”

“Jamie Wilson isn’t an idiot. He has learned all kinds of spatial movement magic, such as Blink and Teleport, which are among the ‘Skill Stones’ found in Gates. He is highly versatile and has excellent physical abilities. If Master were to face him, he could probably manage somehow, but the chance of losing would be high.”

“Why?”

“Because Master said so.”

He scratched his chin.

“Master originally lived in Seoul. During the early days of the Salvation Guild, an S-class Gate appeared that Korea couldn’t clear, and the government of South Korea entrusted the mission of clearing the gate to Jamie Wilson, the world’s strongest awakener and still the strongest to this day.”

“So?”

“He made one condition.”

“What was it?”

“He demanded that the most powerful awakeners in Korea be unable to live in Seoul.”

I widened my eyes in surprise. What kind of condition was that?

“Jamie Wilson is a crazy man. Because of that promise made out of ‘boredom,’ the rising star of Korea, who was a notable awakener at the time, had to move to Pangyo.”

“Didn’t he think about going up to Seoul?”

“Because a promise is a promise. Jamie Wilson cleared the S-class Gate for free, and Master, who was living in Korea at the time, gave up on going to Seoul, saying the result spoke for itself.”

I silently stared at Yoon Young-Soo.

“Master once said, if there were no gates in this world, he would’ve bet everything to kill Jamie Wilson.”

At that point, I chuckled.

“You’re good at your job.”

It might seem like an unexpected comment, but it wasn’t. At least, I could see Yoon Young-Soo’s eyes twitch slightly.

It’s simple.

“I’m not entirely sure if I’m really Jin Si-Hoo, but if I really am, the way you just talked might have made Jamie Wilson, the awakener, harbor some negative feelings, right? Even if it’s not hatred, he’d definitely have some bad feelings. But if that guy has the power to knock out Jin Song-I in one hit… If he were to kill Jamie Wilson, he could replace him… And in the end, that would help my sister. Am I right?”

“…You didn’t even speak much, but you’re quite clever.”

I shrugged.

And when I said you were good at your job, I meant it.

I briefly looked around the shabby room with nothing inside.

“You were quietly tapping your watch earlier. Was this what you were doing?”

“…”

“Let me see. Someone I met on the way here was talking about the awakening grades according to levels.”

“…”

“I think it’s around two hundred people? Did you say there were S-class awakeners? About twenty of them, maybe? And, there are three notable strong people. Considering how you managed to gather them all in such a short time, you really do your job well.”

Yoon Young-Soo remained expressionless.

For him, this must have been expected.

But…

“You do your job well, but it’s a bit of a dangerous tightrope walk. It could all come crashing down in an instant.”

“What do you mean?”

“If I were to have bad intentions and kill them all, they’d all be dead, right? How do you plan on carrying that weight?”

“…You’re quite confident. Most of those people, including the ones who’ve helped Master, were brought in by him. At this point, they’re a force capable of tackling SS-class Gates. And…”

“And?”

“In Gates, modern weapons don’t work, but outside, they do. The Salvation Guild owns a large number of tanks and missiles.”

“The world has really changed.”

I quietly laughed.

I don’t care about SS-class or S-class Gates. All I know now is that the Earth has changed, and Golems appear in A-class Gates, that’s all.

I slowly turned my head.

My sister, who had been unconscious, slowly opened her eyes.

She smiled faintly.

“Did you sleep well?”

“…”

“Should I get you some water?”

My sister shook her head. Then she slowly sat up.

She asked me where we were, clearly confused.

“What are you really?”

Honestly, by now, I felt a little odd.

“You’re making me feel a little hurt. I’m really hurt.”

“…”

“Before that, could you ask the people waiting outside to step back? If it were just one or two, I’d let it slide, but why did you bring hundreds of people?”

My sister knows. If I decide, all those people outside would be dead.

“Secretary.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Tell everyone to step back and wait outside.”

“…Yes.”

“And call someone to fix the door. Did I break the gate door too?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s intact.”

A small voice said they crossed over the fence. My sister didn’t even acknowledge it.

“Go outside. I’ll talk to her for a bit.”

“…Yes.”

So, the secretary went completely outside.

Now it was just me and my sister, alone together.

“Are you really Si-Hoo?”

Later

“Yoon-Soo, what’s going on at this hour?”

A man in a tiger-skin cloak approached, asking.

He was a rare SS+ rank awakener in South Korea and served as the second strike team leader in the Salvation Guild, where Jin Song-I is the Master.

His name was Yoon Ji-Hoo.

He looked at Yoon Young-Soo and said.

“…It’s nothing.”

Nothing?

Yoon Ji-Hoo smiled slightly.

It’s “nothing,” yet you’ve just gathered all the strike team members of the Salvation Guild, and even the B-class awakeners who are candidates?

Look at this.

“It’s not ‘nothing,’ you’re hoping it stays that way, aren’t you?”

Yoon Ji-Hoo asked, and Yoon Young-Soo nodded. That was enough.

“Looks like something happened. Just give the orders. I’ll move as needed.”

The Salvation Guild is the best guild in South Korea.

In the greatest guild, the highest authority belongs to the Guild Master, Jin Songi, and next in line is the secretary, Yun Yeongsu.

Currently, Yun Yeongsu has summoned all of them, and his expression is anything but normal.

Everyone realizes that something has happened, which is why they are quietly waiting.

A woman approached Yun Yeongsu.

She was dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, just like Jin Songi had been earlier in the morning, and her hair was long.

She was Cha Juyeon, the 4th Strike Team Leader of the Salvation Guild, and she asked Yun Yeongsu:

“Secretary, I heard some strange rumors earlier this morning.”

“What rumors?” Yun Yeongsu replied.

“…They say Jin Sihoo and Jin Songi fought on the main street. Apparently, Jin Sihoo wasn’t an unawakened person but an awakened one, and their fight devastated the area. Is this true?”

“It’s just a rumor.”

“I don’t think it’s just a rumor. Then, why did we gather here?”

Yun Yeongsu sighed.

“Cha Juyeon. Or should I say, 4th Strike Team Leader?”

“Yes, Secretary.”

“When did you become someone who gets swayed by rumors like this?”

“…”

“Do you really think I summoned all of you for no reason?”

“…”

“Honestly, I don’t think this kind of behavior is appropriate. Are you doubting the guild’s actions or do you think I’m not trustworthy enough?”

From appearances, Yun Yeongsu clearly had capability.

He graduated first in his class from the University of Pennsylvania’s Business School, completed his law studies at Harvard Law School, worked as a lawyer in New York, and then moved to Korea where he passed the administrative exam first. He was an extremely rare talent and also an A-level awakened person.

He was a founding member of the Salvation Guild, established 8 years ago, and for those 8 years, he has supported only Jin Songi, helping grow the Salvation Guild into Korea’s top guild.

Although his powers as an awakened person were limited, his achievements were undeniable.

He discovered many awakened people, and he was also the teacher of Hong Hyun, the 1st Strike Team Leader, who stood silently in the corner with his arms crossed. Hong Hyun was an SSS-level awakened person, which was incredibly rare worldwide.

Cha Juyeon sighed.

“I’m not swayed by rumors. I’m not saying I don’t believe it, it’s just too shocking. Jin Sihoo? I heard on SNS that it was a ‘gas explosion,’ and there are multiple witnesses. People like us, Strike Team Leaders, should be aware of these things, shouldn’t we?”

Yun Yeongsu fully understood.

It was understandable to feel betrayed. But there was nothing he could do about it.

This wasn’t something he could handle alone.

He placed a hand on Cha Juyeon’s shoulder.

“Juyeon.”

“…Yes.”

“We’ve been leading the Salvation Guild together for 8 years now. Honestly, after 8 years, we’re like family. But, unfortunately, I can’t tell you more about this situation.”

“Why?”

“Because we haven’t received the Master’s confirmation yet. All you need to know is that there was an explosion due to gas, no civilians were caught in it, and fortunately, Jin Songi was there. That’s all. The reason we’ve gathered here is because if something urgent were to happen, it’s just like a drill. Think of it like civil defense. It’s no big deal.”

Seeing Yun Yeongsu’s serious tone and expression, Cha Juyeon couldn’t question him any further.

She stepped back, and Yun Yeongsu was left alone, deep in thought.

He pressed his watch.

In a blind spot where the man’s gaze and senses didn’t reach, he pressed it just once, carefully and silently. And yet, the man knew.

Even though it was on silent mode with no vibrations, he knew.

The Salvation Guild had an emergency system. The highest level alert had been sent out to all staff. But could they really rescue Jin Songi with the current personnel?

He was skeptical.

“I’m going crazy.”

Yun Yeongsu trusted Jin Songi. He absolutely trusted him. If he were told to kill the president or anyone on the street without explanation, he would obey without hesitation.

Because he believed there was always a reason for everything.

Moreover, the Jin Songi he had known never spoke without purpose.

Because of that, Yun Yeongsu, after everything he had seen of Jin Songi, was ready to defy a command just once.

“Everyone, take out your weapons and standby. Once I give the signal, we move in.”

It wasn’t about whether they could rescue him or not.

It was about whether they would act or not.

By now, those around could sense it.

This wasn’t a drill.

Something had happened to the Master.

And now, they were about to begin a rescue operation.

A world without Jin Songi meant nothing. If there was even a slight possibility of saving him, Yun Yeongsu was ready to risk his life.

Not just Yun Yeongsu, but every hunter of the Salvation Guild present shared that resolve.

They only selected people with such resolve in the first place.

The tension grew as they all stared intently at the Master’s residence.