How a legendary returner lives

[White Lotus Sect, Sacred Fire Seven Ties.] [Chapter 3, Blood King Killing Fist.]

A punch dyed in white, with a red heat haze flowing from it, extended outward in a strange form. My sister’s eyes widened in surprise.

Then, it suddenly stopped, right in front of her face.

Boom!

The air that had been pushed back erupted with a loud sound, and my sister’s hair flew backward.

I opened my hand and, with my right index finger, flicked her forehead.

Thwack!

The clear sound rang out as my sister collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

I quickly caught her before her head hit the ground.

She was lighter than I had expected.

It was always like this.

My sister was always so light. She was always dieting because she wanted to maintain her figure, but whenever I found something good to eat, I would get it for her.

And I would always say, Please, gain some weight.

A 170 cm tall woman weighing only 50 kg was too thin.

She would then say, What do you know about women?

I had no words to reply, so I kept quiet, but now, I think I can say it.

She was too thin.

A smile crept onto my lips.

I had returned to Earth.

I had finally returned to the Earth where my sister was.

Looking down at my sister’s unconscious face, I smiled once again.

Chapter 3

How long had it been since I carried my sister like this?

I couldn’t even remember anymore.

I quietly looked at my sister, who was fast asleep—or more accurately, unconscious.

Both of us had lived tough lives, it seemed. In a way, it made me feel proud of her.

She would never know how much I’m at ease right now, how much I appreciate her simply living a proper life without becoming twisted like me. That itself is a huge blessing.

Then, I heard it.

Thud.

The sound of someone stepping forward.

I took a step sideways in the same posture, then turned my head.

Whoosh!

A sword blade swished past my face. The blade was long, about 150 cm. It wasn’t a claymore or anything like that, but just a long sword.

I turned my head to face the man.

There was a man standing there.

He had neat hair and round glasses.

He looked very smart and his body was sleek and agile. Wearing a suit, he was someone I had never seen before in my life.

He spoke to me.

“Please, put down our Master.”

“Who are you?”

“…I’m the secretary of the Salvation Guild. That’s enough of that.”

Hmm, how should I explain this?

It seemed like this man considered me an enemy.

Let me make this clear—it’s a misunderstanding. Why would I be an enemy?

“Can’t we just say it’s a family squabble between old relatives?”

“Do you think that makes sense?”

“Why wouldn’t it?”

“…You don’t have any proof that you’re the Master’s sibling.”

“That’s true, but there’s also no proof that I’m not.”

“That…”

The secretary seemed flustered. He sighed softly.

“Let’s think about this for a moment. Our sister is supposed to be the strongest in Korea, right?”

“…”

“And yet, she’s unconscious right now. Who do you think did that?”

The secretary’s expression hardened. I continued.

“It looks like you got rid of the spectators. You saw how that guy, who pretended to be me before you arrived, met his end. And you saw the kind of power he had.”

“…”

“Who exposed the truth that everyone had been deceived by that guy, including my sister? I’m sure you’ve seen that two-hundredth Apostle or whatever before, but I’m meeting you for the first time. Secretary, I can tell you really care about my sister.”

I lightly touched the sword blade that he was holding out.

The blade was trembling. This meant he was afraid of this incomprehensible situation, but was holding his ground with sheer willpower.

“That’s all well and good, but I came here to see my sister. I’m only asking for a single interruption. After the second, I won’t hold back. Just so you know, I only knocked her out because she’s my sister. Anyone else, and I would have killed them.”

The secretary’s expression froze once more. There was nothing more to say because I was right.

“It’s a situation caused by a misunderstanding, so wouldn’t it be better if we just fix it? What do you think?”

“…”

“I’m not forcing you, since it seems like you care about her, but think about it. If I had bad intentions, would I be acting so gentlemanly right now?”

The secretary seemed to be lost in thought.

And it didn’t take long.

He must have decided to just watch for now.

He silently lowered his sword.

He asked me, “What will you do next?”

“I’m planning to go to my sister’s house. Do you know where it is?”

“I do.”

“The password?”

“I don’t know that.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to break in.”

“…”

“What are you doing? Move the way.”

The secretary obediently guided me.

He seemed to be plotting something, but I didn’t pay much attention to it.

If needed, I could just break through.

As I said before, one interruption is enough. I don’t like wasting time.

With that, I moved my sister and left.

***

My sister’s house was large. It was big enough to be considered excessive for one person. It wasn’t an apartment but a house.

A two-story house with a yard, and the yard seemed to be about 2,000 pyeong.

It looked like it had been landscaped like a park, which was a bit surprising.

But most surprisingly…

It wasn’t in Seoul—it was in Pangyo.

It was a bit odd, but I shrugged it off.

She might have buried gold in Pangyo or something.

“You’ve changed your tastes while I wasn’t looking.”

“…”

“You said you always dreamed of living in Seoul, but has that dream changed?”

Then, I glanced to the side. The secretary of the Salvation Guild.

He didn’t respond to my words.

“Are you some kind of invisible man?”

“No.”

“Being the secretary, is it really something you can handle?”

“Yes, it’s manageable.”

He shrugged.

I walked slowly. In front of me was the front door. My sister still showed no sign of waking up, and I didn’t know the house password. It didn’t seem like anyone else lived here. The yard was something I had crossed over, but this was a little different. There was no choice but to break in, just as I said before.

I reached out and touched the door. I applied a little pressure.

Crash.

The door broke open.

I took off my shoes and stepped inside. The interior was neat. In the spacious living room, there was a sofa and a huge TV. While I was looking around…

I noticed a familiar, yet strangely out-of-place door in this large house.

It was almost directly in front of the entrance, but the door to that room stood out because it looked so shabby compared to everything else.

And I knew that shabby door. There was no way I could forget it.

Carrying my sister, I moved toward that room as if I was drawn to it. I reached out, grabbed the doorknob, and turned it.

Creeak.

The door opened. What I saw beyond it made me stop dead in my tracks.

It felt like time had stopped. No, it felt like time had been reversed.

Before I went to the other world, my sister and I had lived in a two-room apartment.

It was a basement apartment, but it was still livable. Since my sister liked the TV and such more than I did, I gave her the entire room for it, while I only had a bed and a desk in mine. The room in front of me now was exactly the same as that old room.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

It had been so long since I had laughed so freely.

Although I hadn’t had deep conversations with my sister, to be honest, I thought she had completely forgotten about me while staying with that guy—whatever his title was, the two-hundredth Apostle.

But it seemed that my sister had been feeling something too.

Why was this room still here? This was the proof.

It was clear evidence that my sister hadn’t been sure whether the person pretending to be me was really “Jin Si-Hoo.”

I could feel it.

How much my sister must have missed me.

How much she must have suffered, being with someone who looked like me, but felt wrong to her.

“…I’m glad I came.”

Those were the only words I could say.

I laid my sister on the bed. Then, suddenly, I turned my head.

The secretary was already in the living room.

“Secretary.”

“Yes.”

“It’s a bit awkward to ask, but could you please go back to the entrance and put your shoes back on?”

“…”

“This is not a request.”

Without saying a word, the secretary put his shoes on and waited at the entrance.

I moved the chair from my room next to the bed and sat down.

“Now that I think about it, we never introduced ourselves. What’s your name?”

“…Yoon Young-Soo.”

“Nice name.”

I was about to make a joke, something about his surname being “Guk,” and if his name had been “Guk Young-Soo,” I could have made a silly comment, but I stopped myself.

Even I thought that would be inappropriate.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of person is my sister?”

“…If you’re truly her sibling, you should know better than anyone.”

I did know. I knew, but so much time had passed. For her, it had been 10 years, but for me, even longer.

Of course, people don’t change easily. That’s for sure.

“I’m sure the sister I knew in the past and the one I know now aren’t too different. But…”

“But?”

“People wear different masks depending on their environment. What I want to know is what kind of person my sister is, and what kind of person she appears to be. Do you not know that?”

“…”

“If you don’t know, that’s fine.”

At that, Yoon Young-Soo responded.

“She’s a person who carries far too much on her narrow shoulders.”

I turned my head.

Yoon Young-Soo was speaking, his eyes steady and unwavering.

“Master’s dream is to create a world where children are smiling everywhere. I am with him, sharing that dream. And Jin Song-I has never once betrayed me or anyone in the Salvation Guild.”

A world where children smile.

That would truly be difficult.

“Even though everyone in the world praises and elevates him as a hero, Master has never once been arrogant. He has always been humble, but still reliable. He is someone everyone can rely on, yet he always lives alone, without anyone to rely on…”

Yoon Young-Soo paused for a moment, then continued speaking with sincerity.

“Despite looking like he’s struggling, not showing it, and even though he’s lonely, he never lets it show, carrying everything on his shoulders without complaining—Master is a person worthy of respect. This is the best answer I can give.”

I stared at Yoon Young-Soo. He was speaking sincerely. Interesting.

“But didn’t you say our sister is one of the Seven Pillars?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“But, among the Seven, there’s someone stronger than her. Is that true?”

“Yes, it’s true.”

“Who is it?”

Yoon Young-Soo thought for a moment, then replied in a dry voice.

“An awakened individual named Jamie Wilson. His ability is called ‘Domain Declaration,’ and when he activates it, a minimum 5-meter radius becomes his domain.”