Returned With Horns

* * *

"...So it really was Earth."

That was the first thing the girl said after leaving the dungeon. Jinhyuk roughly knew the girl's identity.

50 years ago, when the gates first opened, there were incidents of people disappearing. At first, most people thought they had died due to the effects of the gates opening, but just 10 years ago, an event occurred that completely overturned this opinion.

Returnees. Those who suddenly appeared in dungeons were stronger than ordinary hunters and possessed heterogeneous powers. The girl in front of him looked pitiful on the outside, but she was the one who had cut the thick giant's skin in two with just one swing of her sword.

Considering that most returnees became S-rank or higher, unmeasurable grade, EX-rank hunters, it was obvious that she would also become an EX-rank hunter. So from now on, it would be beneficial to his status to make a good impression. Whether she remembered him or not, the point was to leave a good impression for now.

"...Is there anything you need?"

"Anything I need?"

The girl's face, which had been looking around absent-mindedly, slightly distorted.

"...No."

At this sight, Jinhyuk tilted his head. Returnees usually look for their families first. But the girl in front of him just shook her head as if she didn't need anything.

"T-then, what's your name?"

"...I won't tell you."

The girl, who answered as if she was annoyed, immediately disappeared. At this dreamlike sight, Jinhyuk could only blankly stare at where she had vanished.

* * *

It was three hours later that I realized I had no means to prove who I was after returning to Earth.

I had no family to begin with as I was an orphan, and no friends. There were children I grew up with at the orphanage, but I couldn't go find them because I didn't know where they were or what they were doing.

So I was walking aimlessly through downtown Seoul.

To be honest, I know that my clothes look a bit outdated from a modern person's perspective, but isn't it too much to stare like this? Along with the sticky gazes of men, curious gazes were piercing various parts of my body, and I was starting to get irritated.

"Yes. We've found an unidentified ability user. Judging by the attire, it seems to be a returnee... Excuse me."

"...Me?"

I turned around slightly to see a man and a woman in police uniforms looking at me. As I didn't feel any hostility or pressure, I pointed at myself while trying to suppress a yawn. The two nodded.

"Yes. Are you a returnee?"

"What's a returnee?"

"It means someone who has returned from another world."

"Well, I guess that's right."

As I nodded, the two approached me. What's this, what are they planning to do? As I looked at the two alternately, the female officer spoke.

"Don't worry. Usually, returnees have their identities erased, right? We're just here to help with that part."

"But how did you know I was a returnee?"

"First, those horns and... We received a report. That a beautiful woman with black hair and red eyes was walking around with a sword at her waist without even a scabbard. Usually, hunters try to dress as similarly to ordinary people as possible."

"Really?"

"Yes. So would you come with us? We're these kinds of people."

The man's face showed a bit of tension as he showed his police notebook. Unlike the female officer, he seemed to have done this kind of thing a few times.

Hmm, should I go? Or not?

Honestly, I was a bit conflicted, but to be honest, I didn't think anyone on Earth could subdue me, so I nodded obediently.

By the way, I thought I had gotten a bit weaker since coming to Earth, and the mana concentration here is quite low. Thanks to the Dragon Heart implanted in my chest through experiments over there, mana absorption wasn't too difficult, but the power output was only about half.

I didn't care about magic since I wouldn't use it anyway, but the reduced power of my sword wasn't a pleasant thing.

From what I heard, it seems there are plenty of returnees besides me, and there might be someone stronger than me among them. Just like money is better the more you have, power is better the stronger it is. I learned that in that world.

The continent of Granterasia.

Those bastards who gave the title of hero to humans summoned from another world but didn't even provide proper support. The Magic Tower bastards who performed all sorts of magical experiments on me under the pretext of making me stronger after I failed to defeat the Demon King once, and the Temple bastards who turned a blind eye to it.

It's fortunate that the Saintess, Elucia, removed all the restrictions placed on my mind, otherwise I would still be a slave to the Magic Tower bastards, mobilized for war.

Elucia, Abrahen. Zelia. The three who were my companions were the only light in that hellish daily life. It's also thanks to them that I maintain what little sanity I have now.

If it weren't for those three, wouldn't I have gone crazy long ago? In the quiet police car, I ruminated on thoughts I had countless times before.

"We've arrived. This is the Hunter Association."

"Hunter Association?"

"Yes. It's an association that appoints and manages hunters. They also manage returnees, so you should be able to get help here. Well then, we'll be going now."

Wasting public power to bring one returnee, is modern-day Korea a bit better off? It certainly seems to have developed a lot compared to when I lived here. What are these robots wandering around the streets in the first place?

Thinking that, I poked one of the robots buzzing around in front of me, and a red light started flashing on the robot. What's this, why is it doing this?

"Danger! Danger! Unidentified entity has made contact with the main body! Entering combat mode!"

"...I don't know what's going on, but this is a fight, right? Huh?"

Without drawing the straight sword hanging at my waist, I throw a punch as is. The immense force exerted from my extremely strengthened body without even using mana strikes the robot.

With a bang! The robot's head flies off and it stops moving. A woman's voice called out to me.

"Oh my, oh my my my! What are you doing?!"

"What, are you the owner of this robot? Um, I'm sorry."

"...There's no way I'm the owner. Well, I can see you're a returnee alright. What are those clothes in the first place? So outdated."

Despite my apology, the woman who snapped at me then grabbed my hand. Dressed neatly in a suit with her hair neatly styled, she looked like an employee working at the association to anyone.

As I followed her inside, I saw those robots buzzing around, cleaning and attending to customers.

"It's quite interesting that robots have become so commercialized."

"It's thanks to the materials obtained from the gates. Recently, even the use of oil has been greatly reduced. The energy extracted from the magic stones obtained from the gates is cheaper and more efficient."

"Really...? That's quite interesting."

"You're talking as if you've never seen a gate before?"

The woman made a puzzled face. Wondering why, I tilted my head slightly and nodded in affirmation.

"Yeah. I've never seen one."

"...Are you really a returnee?"

"I don't know. You guys are calling me a returnee."

How would I, who just set foot on Earth, know if I'm a returnee or whatever? As I picked my ear and shook my head, the woman looked at me with a slightly serious face.

"You did return from another world, right?"

"Yeah. The continent of Granterasia. Are there returnees from there here too?"

"...No. There aren't."

Although the pause was suspicious, I nodded thinking that must be the case as the woman shook her head. It wasn't my style to dig too deeply into such matters anyway.

"Could you come in here for now?"

"Sure."

After answering like that and going inside, I saw a room completely sealed off from any light. It felt like a room prepared for interrogating a suspect, no, even more for hearing intimate stories.

Feeling something was off, I raised my fist to break down the door when I heard a urgent voice.

[W-wait a moment! Don't break it!]

"...What's this, what's your purpose? Bringing me into a room like this."

[It can't be helped. All returnees are mentally unstable. You seem to be sane, though...]

"I'm not very sane, you know? Well, anyway. It's for protecting the player, right?"

[Well, something like that. Anyway, should I introduce myself first? I'm Han Ayoung, the deputy director of the Returnee Related Department at the Hunter Association.]

"You look young to be a deputy director? You must be quite capable."

[Ahem. I suppose so. Well, actually, it's closer to being demoted after catching the eyes of the higher-ups... No, why am I telling this story? Nevermind, I'll start with the questions. What's your name?]

Han Ayoung, who had caught herself going off on a tangent, threw the first question at me.

Name, name huh. Recalling my name that had been sleeping in a corner of my mind, I opened my mouth hesitantly.