How a legendary returner lives

“Three hours? That’s not even necessary.”

“Oh, really? You’ve already made up your mind?”

“Yes.”

“Personally, I think the first one would be better. What do you think?”

“I’ll go with the third one.”

“Can’t even count? There are only two options.”

The two choices Jin Si-Hoo offered weren’t even worth considering.

The doppelgänger had something to do.

It was something ordinary people couldn’t even imagine.

At this moment, it was just an obstacle that had appeared.

And the obstacle could simply be cleared away.

The doppelgänger, acting as Jin Song’s younger brother while also being a genre novelist and a broadcaster, spoke in a very decisive tone.

“You better go back to Titan. And never show up on Earth again. There’s no place for you in this world.”

Jin Si-Hoo smirked.

This made things very simple.

He turned his head to look at Jin Song.

“Sis.”

“…”

“Do you want to sleep, or do you want to watch with your eyes?”

“…”

To Jin Song, who had no reply, the man shrugged.

“Then just watch. Ugh, but this is really strange. My chest feels all warm— I don’t know if it’s disappointment, sadness, or maybe even joy.”

He stood up.

“I’ll finish this before the food comes, so just wait a bit.”

* * *

Thump.

My heart pounded. Then, smoke began to rise from my entire body. It was a clear and distinct energy. That energy began to boil.

I call this ‘Baekryeon-gi’ (White Lotus Energy).

There are invisible forces in this world.

They’re called ‘Qi’ or ‘Mana,’ and they are fragments of the world and the flow of the universe.

Mana is used to enhance the body, and to cast magic. It can create flames or tsunamis in the air, or even summon hurricanes. The power generated by these forces varies greatly depending on the user’s skill level.

But I wasn’t interested in magic. I had learned it, but I never used it as my main method of combat, nor did I intend to.

I’ve always fought with my body, and that’s what I’ve developed.

Baekryeon-gi is one of the traces of that.

After gathering the white smoke into my hand, I flicked my fingers.

[Baekryeon-gyo (White Lotus Cult) Sacred Fire Seven Seals.] [Chapter 1: Breaking Heaven’s Finger Technique.]

Thwack.

At the sound, the doppelgänger on the other side widened his eyes. At the same time, he crossed his arms. The light that shot out aimed at the crossed arms.

Boom!!

A huge sound erupted, and the doppelgänger was pushed back.

He wore a surprised expression, but honestly, I was surprised too.

“Did you block that?”

“…What the hell… did you do in Titan?”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What does it matter? You’re gonna be a corpse soon.”

“…Before that, let me ask you one thing…”

I wasn’t interested in talking to him.

It was a waste of time.

What’s the point of chatting with someone who’s about to die?

I wasn’t that dumb.

I immediately moved to attack.

The space around me seemed to distort. I was right in front of him. His face, still maintaining a shocked expression, was now in range of my fist.

Boom!!

He was definitely no ordinary person. He raised his arms to block my punch.

I jabbed again, sliding my fist through the gap between his guard.

Boom!!

He staggered again. His knees didn’t touch the ground, though.

Then, one more time.

Boom!!

Another hit.

Boom!!

Before the building collapsed, his knees finally hit the ground.

My face, smiling, contrasted sharply with his twisted face.

I brought my foot down.

Boom!!

My foot struck his head, and he was slammed into the ground, along with the collapsing building.

“That was nothing.” Tsk.

I clicked my tongue lightly and turned my head to the side.

Whoosh!

A stone grazed the side of my face.

I looked down. About 30 meters away.

From the dust rising, I could see his crumpled face.

Even though he was bleeding from various parts of his body, he still seemed to want to land at least one attack on me.

How desperate must he have been to throw a stone?

I swiftly moved again, dropping straight down.

The doppelgänger, who had been watching me, now gleamed his eyes with intent.

Ordinary people can’t move through the air. But people like me or him, who have reached a certain level, can move in the air.

However, it’s much more restricted compared to moving on the ground. He must have seen this as an opportunity.

He gathered both hands and stretched them out toward me.

At that moment.

He flinched. It seemed like he saw something or heard something.

He lowered his hands and quickly retreated.

At the same time…

Zing!!

A lightning bolt shot from the clear sky, striking the spot where the doppelgänger had been standing just moments before.

The ground shook. As he stumbled backward, another lightning bolt struck.

He didn’t even have time to react.

Boom!!

With a thunderous sound, his body was sent flying far away, scattering blood through the air.

I subtly turned my head.

It was my sister. She was floating in the sky.

And her fingertips were pointing at my head.

No way.

Before the thought could even settle, there was a flash.

A beam of light shot from her fingertips.

It was unbelievable. I swung my hand.

Boom!!

The flash bounced off into the opposite sky. My sister wasn’t panicked. She just stared at me and the doppelgänger with a stern, hardened face.

From my experience, that’s the face she makes when she’s truly angry.

It had been a long time since I’d seen it.

Back in the day, whenever she made that face, she would cry soon after.

“You guys, what are you?”

I turned to look at him. Honestly, I was curious too.

“What are you?”

“…”

“And what’s your name? It’s weird to keep calling you ‘that guy’ like this. ‘Fake Si-Hoo’ is just… off.”

The man didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding his identity. He spoke:

“I am the ‘Two Hundredth Apostle.'”

I scratched my nose.

“Two hundredth?”

“You don’t need to know anything beyond that. Neither you, nor you.”

The first “you” referred to me, and the second “you” was for my sister.

I casually turned my head.

About 20 meters to the side, my sister landed.

I met her eyes. Seeing the confusion on her face, I shrugged.

“There’s always something going on, huh?”

“…….”

“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you going to throw that at me again?”

Before I could finish, the man who introduced himself as the Two Hundredth Apostle retreated quickly.

Earlier, it was evasive; but this time, it was clearly a retreat. I could say it outright—he was running away.

He seemed to consider this brief moment when I was talking to my sister as an opportunity. It was absurd.

I picked up a stone from the ground, almost instinctively.

The stone was enveloped by the White Lotus energy. The stone, about the size of a fist, began to emit smoke as though it were burning.

At this, my sister became alert, but I just smiled lightly.

And then…

I threw the stone toward the distant figure, who was already becoming just a dot in the sky.

Whoosh—!

The air split apart. A rift opened in space. The man, turning his head, noticed just in time.

Thud-!

His head exploded.

* * *

The situation was simple.

The younger brother, whom I had thought was Jin Si-Hoo, was a non-awakened one. For ten years, he had been deceiving not just Jin Song-I, but the entire world.

And this man, who claimed to be the real one, created this situation.

He had the same face as my younger brother and wore a gentle smile, which was honestly hiding power. He was the one who had just died with his head exploded, and he called himself the “Two Hundredth Apostle.”

Jin Song-I, despite her inner thoughts, wore a soft smile, just like this man who claimed to be the real one.

She slowly walked forward.

The two of them, a man and a woman, looked at each other. The distance between them was exactly 30 cm.

Jin Si-Hoo thought.

What should I say?

Hmm.

Most of those who had fallen from Titan were longing for Earth.

You know, there are football players who get homesick and miss their hometown, right?

It was the same for him. Perhaps the longing was even more intense because Earth was a much more difficult place to live than Titan.

Jin Si-Hoo was the same.

He wanted to return to Earth. He wanted to see his sister again. He wanted to see how she was living, how her foolishness had led her life.

If he had the power he gained from Titan, at least he could have helped her live better.

That was hope.

Hope that he could survive.

For Jin Si-Hoo, his sister’s side was home, and after finishing all the battles on Titan, he came back to his home.

There was a man like the doppleganger who created this situation, but now they were finally alone.

The onlookers didn’t matter. Why should he care about extras?

Jin Si-Hoo decided to say something from the heart.

“Your appearance has improved.”

“Uh…?”

Jin Song-I’s eyes widened. She didn’t expect him to say such a thing.

But Jin Si-Hoo meant it.

The clothes Jin Song-I was wearing.

They were just regular jeans and a white T-shirt, but at first glance, the material seemed luxurious. And now, he noticed her hair looked like she had done something to it.

Her long hair was flowing so beautifully. What was she putting in it?

He laughed.

“You look so beautiful. You really are my sister.”

“You haven’t changed. You’re still my little brother.”

He walked up and embraced her. Though she may have changed on the outside, she was still the sister he knew.

Soft, occasionally sharp, and always trying to figure things out despite the chaos she caused.

He tightened his embrace. Really.

“I missed you. Truly.”

The ten years that passed were just superficial time.

On Titan, there was a tribe called the “Haime.” They practiced a traditional training method that separated the mind and body, training the mind to its limits in order to strengthen the body as well.

This training method was based on using the fact that no matter how much time passed for the mind, time for the body was just a moment. It wasn’t just a simple training technique; in the Haime tribe and Titan, it was known as “the forbidden art.”

There was a reason why it was called that.

99 out of 100 people failed.

Even dragons, who were known as the strongest race, failed.

The years passed quickly, but Jin Si-Hoo didn’t know exactly how long he had been in that state. It might have been over a thousand years.

From a certain point, his memories started to close off. He wasn’t sure whether he had reached the end or not.

Because his soul level had not matched his body, his memories stayed locked. It was a difficult trial, but he had come here now.

Really.

“It’s good to see you again.”

He meant it. He hoped Jin Song-I could feel his sincerity.

As he thought this, Jin Song-I’s voice pierced his ears. And what she said was something he didn’t expect.

“No one has ever blocked my attacks at this level like that.”

“…What?”

“Your body is solid. Both your body and mind feel like they’ve been trained to their limits. At this distance, you wouldn’t be able to dodge.”

She lightly stretched her arms. Jin Si-Hoo was taller than Jin Song-I, at 175 cm, and he was even wearing shoes. He looked down at her.

But her eyes had sunk.

Those weren’t eyes filled with trust.

Suspicion. Coldness.

Jin Si-Hoo was about to say something, but he couldn’t.

That’s when Jin Song-I’s right palm, placed on his side, began to glow.

And then, Jin Song-I’s words echoed in his mind.

“Who the hell are you?”

And then.

Boom—!!

With the explosion, Jin Si-Hoo’s body was sent flying far away.

Oh