As it was the first return, unlike before, vestiges of civilization still remained. Taesan raised his gaze. A massive skyscraper was loftily piercing the sky.
[Wait. Wait. What is this.]
The Ghost muttered in a voice filled with astonishment.
[…Where is this.]
“My world.”
The world he had lived in, and been driven from.
Earth.
That place was welcoming Taesan.
[How are we here? Why am I here?]
The Ghost still seemed bewildered. Taesan waited silently. A few minutes later, the Ghost, having barely calmed down, began to awkwardly sort through its thoughts.
[…Is this what you meant by ‘getting out’?]
“Yes. We are forced out in the form of a Quest.”
[Since I’m a being bound to you… is this possible?]
“I was half in doubt myself.”
The Ghost was bound to Taesan by a Quest. It could not leave until the Boss of the 10th Floor was defeated. If that was the case, what would happen to the Ghost’s dwelling when Taesan returned to Earth?
The things of the Labyrinth belong to the Labyrinth. However, it was the rule to bring all Items when returning to Earth. The Ghost was no different from an Item.
A being that belonged to the Labyrinth, possessing a consciousness but no freedom. In other words, by the system's Judgment, the Player's ownership took precedence. He had thought there was a possibility.
But an object and a living being were fundamentally different. He had leaned more towards it being impossible, yet he was able to bring the Ghost to Earth without any issue. The Ghost also organized its thoughts.
[So I was forced to follow because I'm bound to you by a Quest. This is fascinating. I didn't know such a Judgment existed…]
Looking at Taesan, the Ghost exclaimed in admiration.
[So this is your world.]
The Ghost looked around, intrigued. Upon seeing the skyscraper, the Ghost gasped.
[How was that made? Is it a building of some cult? Are there guys who worship the Demon King in your world too?]
“It's just a building.”
To think a building belonged to followers of a Demon King was quite a unique thing to say.
[Building? What's that?]
“A tall structure.”
The Ghost was a being from a fantasy world. It was plausible that such architecture didn't exist there.
“You can just think of it as an ordinary building.”
[That kind of thing is an ordinary building…]
A voice full of wonder echoed.
Concrete.
A wall of bricks laid without a single margin of error. Uniquely shaped objects. Stems of utility poles reaching for the sky.
After examining each one, the Ghost couldn't hide its admiration.
[You said there's no Magic in your world, right? To think you built things like this with only human strength… What's that over there?]
The Ghost, which had been flying about, pointed at a car.
“Would you understand if I called it a carriage that moves without a horse?”
[No horse? Then how does it run?]
“I don't know about things like that either.”
Most people don't know how a car's engine works to make it move. From Taesan's words, the Ghost realized one thing.
[…I see quite a lot of them.]
Cars were parked on every street.
[In my world, there were carriages that ran on Magic, but they were very few, and only nobles could use them. I suppose this 'car' is a common thing that even commoners can use? Not knowing how it works must mean the technology here is incredibly advanced. What a good world.]
A voice full of wonder echoed. He couldn't help but laugh at the typical reaction of a fantasy world character encountering modern civilization, something often seen in novels.
“It was like that in the past.”
But it was meaningless now. They had lost their civilization to the Monsters. Taesan looked up at the sky.
He could see a gaping hole among the clouds.
“Do you feel anything?”
[Hm?]
The Ghost, having barely calmed down, belatedly noticed the hole in the sky.
[…What is that.]
“The thing that's trampling our world.”
2020.
As the new year began, the sky split open and a Monster appeared. From there, Monsters emerged and trampled the ground.
[Mmm… something's different. I feel a completely different power. I think I'd need to see it up close to know.]
“Hmm.”
He had no Skill to ascend to the sky right now. Not Great Leap, not even Leap. There might be helicopters left, but Taesan had been an ordinary student.
He didn't know how to pilot one.
‘I should move first and see.’
There were Rifts on the ground as well, not just in the sky. Taesan looked around. Numerous one-room apartment buildings.
A familiar landscape. He had returned to the very spot where he had left his home when the choice window first appeared. Back then, there were people chattering loudly, and also those who were screaming.
But now, not a single sign of human presence could be felt nearby. It was the same before. At that time, he had been flustered by the thought of being left alone, but now he knew the reason.
When the sky shattered, a choice window appeared before them, but not every human chose it. In the first place, it was rare for anyone to press a choice that suddenly appeared. They remained on Earth, hiding their bodies and hoping the government would save them.
‘They all died.’
The choice window disappears after a certain amount of time. The place he was in now was Anyang in Gyeonggi Province. Out of a population of over five hundred thousand, only one hundred thousand had survived by the first return.
[So, what are we doing here? Do we just have to survive?]
“No.” Whether the one who sent the Monsters had a conscience or simply wanted things to be more entertaining, they provided a minimal guideline.
A System Window appeared.
[Special Quest begins] [Proceed to Anyang City Hall.]
[Condition: Arrive while still alive.]
[Reward: To be distributed differently upon returning to the Labyrinth based on performance.]
The Quest appeared. Everyone in Anyang must have received the same Quest Window. Taesan began to move.
He walked leisurely toward the road. Not a hint of human presence could be felt. Nor was there any sign of a Monster.
With a relaxed pace, he stopped by an intact convenience store. A disgusting smell came from things like bananas and sandwiches. About three months had passed, so anything that could rot had completely rotted.
Among them, Taesan chose a can of spam. As a canned food meant for long-term storage, it was fine amidst the disgusting smell. He picked up a few more things and went outside.
He opened the spam can and held out his hand.
[You have activated Fireball.]
Fwoosh.
A flame ignited on his palm. He placed a slice of spam on it.
Sizzle, sizzle.
The spam cooked with a delicious aroma. He popped the properly cooked piece of spam into his mouth. A laugh escaped him.
He hadn't been particularly fond of spam. He had thought of it as cheap food just loaded with salt. But now, it was incredibly delicious.
Taesan devoured the entire can of spam on the spot. The Ghost, which had been waiting silently, asked.
[Are we moving now?]
“We should get going.”
Something proper would begin after arriving at Anyang City Hall. First, he had to move. Taesan started walking.
The distance to the city hall wasn't far. It was within the city's bounds to begin with. At a normal human's walking speed, it wouldn't take long to arrive, and with his current Stats, it wouldn't even take five minutes.
Even if it wasn't Taesan, most people could arrive quickly. But the enemies wouldn't just stand by.
Slither.
A Monster revealed itself.
[Monster 4516233121 has appeared.]
It had a form similar to a slime. The only differences were its black color and the numerous short tentacles on its underside. A ten-digit monster.
A low-class Monster, a weakling that appears in the very beginning. Even an Easy Mode Player could win against hundreds of them without issue.
Gurgle.
The Monster crawled on the ground and rushed toward Taesan. It tried to grab his head with its short tentacles. Taesan reached out his hand.
Thwump. Gurgle. Guurgle.
The Monster was caught. It struggled to break free, but the hand holding it firmly didn't budge. An unpleasant sensation traveled up from his hand.
“What does this look like to you?”
[Hmm…]
The Ghost examined the Monster from all angles.
[A servant of a god? But the feeling is a bit different.]
“You said your world was destroyed too.”
[Mine was a destruction by a Demon King. It was an end brought by a being belonging to the world, not something from the outside like this. This is curious.]
The Ghost muttered in a strange tone.
[Invaders of a world? Are there really beings who would do such a thing?]
The Ghost, after some thought, came to a small conclusion.
[One thing is certain, the master of these things is a considerably strong being. I think it might be even stronger than Rakiratas.]
“Is that so.”
A transcendent being. And a very powerful one at that. That was the identity of the enemy.
As expected, bringing the Ghost was the right answer. The Ghost found out information he couldn't have known on his own. The Ghost, perhaps realizing this as well, let out a chuckle.
[So you brought me here for this, huh?]
“It's not bad for you either, is it?”
[Well, true. Just knowing a world like this exists is a gain for me.]
Taesan squeezed his hand.
Splat.
The Monster burst. With a reminiscent look on his face, Taesan flicked off the slime stuck to his arm.
‘I had to go through hell to catch these things.’
In his previous life, it wasn't this easy. It's true an Easy Mode Player could catch hundreds, but that was after clearing the Labyrinth. An Easy Mode Player just three months in would only have a Stat of about 11. Back then, he had truly fought with his life on the line.
Since it was the beginning, he had no particular Skills and had even come close to death.
Gurgle.
[Monster 4516242121 has appeared.]
He threw a punch. A shockwave struck the Monster.
Splat.
Such a creature now burst with a simple gesture. He felt a great difference in every little thing like this. Taesan looked up at the sky.
Only small Monsters were emerging from the open hole.
‘As I thought, they're not here.’
The B-Class Monster that appeared when the sky first opened. They were not on the ground. This time, only weak Monsters were appearing, and stronger ones would appear as time went on.
“Did you say transcendent beings like to see mortals strive?”
[Hm? Most of them do, don't they?]
They send out enemies appropriate for one to grow stronger step by step. It was just like a game.
Taesan walked.
Low-class Monsters continuously blocked Taesan's path. It was a constant movement, as if trying to prevent him from reaching the city hall. Of course, they were no match for him.
The opponents were enemies adjusted to the average strength of the game. He roughly swatted them away and pushed forward. The Ghost asked in a puzzled tone.
[Is it far?]
“It's close.”
With Taesan's current Stats, it wouldn't even take five minutes, but he was walking leisurely.
[Why are you going so slowly?]
“There's someone I need to meet.”
[Aha.]
The Ghost said as if it understood.
[You're going to meet those guys you said you'd teach things to. I was curious to see what kind of people they were, for you to go to such lengths to teach them. Are you going to find them?]
Lee Tae-yeon and Kang Jun-hyeok. Both of them lived in Anyang. He could find them right away if he wanted to.
But Taesan shook his head.
“It's not them. We'll meet them eventually, so there's no need to rush.”
They were both strong individuals. They could skillfully evade the low-class Monsters and reach the city hall.
‘Is it around here?’
Taesan walked, recalling words he had heard in the past. He felt a human presence. A person was approaching him.
At a fast speed. Compared to Taesan, it was like a snail's pace, but on average, it was a speed that would rank among the top.
“Hello?”
The man who appeared smiled warmly. He greeted Taesan with a friendly smile.
Taesan nodded.
The man was momentarily taken aback by his calm demeanor.
“Oh, you're calmer than I expected. Have you not encountered any Monsters?”
“I have.”
“Ooh. Is that so?”
Perhaps recognizing Taesan's strength, the man extended his hand with a bright expression.
“Seeing as it's my first time meeting you, I guess you're not from Hard Mode… Are you perhaps in Normal Mode? My name is Geum Jung-geun, from Hard Mode.”
Jung-geun, looking younger than he remembered, smiled brightly.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Leveling up through battle