Chapter 4. Unfamiliar Land with a Familiar Landscape (Part 1)

Editor: Cherish

— What… What do you mean? — Han Sol looked at Kang Yu in embarrassment.

This offer was so sudden, she didn't know whether she should be angry or grateful to the young man.

— Ah, I'm sorry. — Common sense returned to Kang Yu, and he shook his head, letting go of the girl's hands.

'Get it together!' That was the person he had been so eager to meet.

'I can't look crazy from the start.'

— My name is Oh Kang Yu. Did you say your name was Han Sol? How's the wound, does it hurt a lot?

"Yes, that's right… The wound isn't that bad." But suddenly the pain from the wound made her scream, and she fell. "Ow!"

The moment she hit the ground, some rectangular object fell out of her pocket.

"Smartphone," he murmured, eyes shining as he watched the object fall.

He was sure it was a smartphone, a thing that he still had vague memories about.

'I guess… it's still Earth?' And her name on the phone was Korean. Han Sol.

What's more…

'We're talking!' Not in the devil's language as it was in Hell, but Korean as it was ten thousand years ago.

The ability to communicate was proof that this is the Earth, and she is obviously Korean.

'It's good that even there I practiced.' So as not to forget Korean in Hell over time, Kang Yu forbade his servants to use the devilish language and taught them the basics of Korean.

— Are you all right? — Kang Yu tore a part of his clothing and tied it around the girl's wounded leg.

It wasn't normal clothing, it was a uniform made out of fabric scarcely found in Hell.

— Oh, yes, thank you. — She pulled up her bandage and her cheeks flushed red, even though the girl was suspicious of such kindness from a stranger.

She was noticeably stunned and at the same time strongly wary of both the suggestion of holding hands and the phrase about having children.

— Thank you for your concern. — If it wasn't for Kang Yu, she'd be dead by now.

And if she'd been taken prisoner, something worse could have happened.

'After all, it's said that monsters are attracted to people too.' Thanks to him, Han Sol could move on with her life in peace.

The girl felt remorse for treating the young man with fear.

'Be grateful,' Han Sol decided, and nodded again with a smile.

Although she had only recently become a Player, she had heard about the game world quite often.

For the benefit of the players, it was wise to organize a party, and then, to survive, betray friends in cold blood.

Of course, not everyone does this, but players like Kang Yu, who were ready to rush when they heard screams were a huge rarity.

— Don't strain yourself and sit down.

— Okay.

The young man looked at Han Sol's smile and smiled a little too.

'Okay.' Winning her trust was important. Yes, it was.

Kang Yu wanted her to stay close. And not just because she's the first person he's met since returning from Hell. She could give important information to him.

'What the hell are those monsters doing on Earth?' The difference between the Earth he knew and the one he had arrived in was huge.

And the girl sitting in front of him was a great way to know what happened to Earth.

'This is my main task now.' Kang Yu stepped towards the phone that had fallen out. When he picked up the smartphone, he immediately pressed the 'Home' button.

That's how he learned one of the things he was interested in. It immediately showed up on the lock screen.

[22.05.2023 | 3:34PM]

"2023"? – he certainly went to Hell in 2018.

It turns out he's in the near future, just five years ahead.

'I didn't screw up the time setting.' On the contrary, he had been expecting a larger difference in time of 10-20 years.

He could consider his time travel successful because the error was much less than expected.

But in just five years, the Earth had changed too much.

'Does this mean that in five years, monsters have appeared on Earth?' Kang Yu didn't realize what could have happened to the Earth in just five years, with so many monsters walking around in the forest.

'That's not enough information.' There was clearly not enough information to understand the current situation here. The guy turned towards Han Sol.

— I think this is your phone.

— Oh, yes, thank you.

— May I ask what you're doing here?

— Um… — Han Sol continued to answer more sluggishly. — For some reason, I had to hunt on my own. Ha-ha. I'm quite new, but I decided to go through the gate to level E. It was a stupid thing to do.

It was clear from her voice that she was not happy with herself.

Kang Yu's eyes were shining as he listened: 'Gate', 'Player', so he was not on Earth, but on one of the levels.

'And the fact that she's "a new Player"…' Kang Yu thought about status window he'd seen earlier.

— What's your level? — he asked casually.

— I'm new, so it's only 6. You have a high level, right? What are you doing here?

Kang Yu's level was actually 3 units lower, but she believed it was a high level.

She would think it was weird considering he easily defeated a bunch of goblins, while she couldn't do it with level 6.

Of course, she was inaccurately evaluating his level based only on his strength.

— I have my reasons for being here.

— Ah… I see. — Han Sol didn't ask further after Kang Yu's ambiguous answer, and simply nodded.

Even though it was rare for high-class players to appear at lower levels, she had no right to question a guy who wanted to hide his reason for being here.

— Um…

— Can you stand up?

— Yes, thanks to you, I think I can walk.

— I'll be there for you.

— Oh, you don't have to. I don't want to cause any more trouble.

— You don't have to say no if you need help — Kang Yu put his arm around the teetering girl to support her.

Han Sol tilted her head awkwardly and her face turned red.

— Where do you need to go?

— That way, — the girl said, pointing her finger in the direction. Embarrassed, she didn't notice that the high-level guy didn't know where the gate was.

— Let's go. — Kang Yu held onto the girl tightly and they went slowly.

'It's a good thing she doesn't ask any unnecessary questions.' She certainly couldn't know anything about him, but to avoid unpleasant situations, he had to try not to cause suspicion.

'Otherwise, she'll think I'm crazy.' He didn't want to look like a total psycho in front of the first human he met, and in front of such a beautiful person.

He had to blend in with the local population.

Kang Yu thought about how he accidentally met Han Sol, who was now walking along with him.

— Here…

There was a snow-white gate before them.

It was about 30 meters high. If you compared it to the Black Gate from which Kang Yu came, this gate was many times bigger and more powerful.

'This is definitely not the Earth.' If she had come here through a gate, it meant that this forest filled with goblins was definitely not the Earth.

'Is this place… something like Hell?' A place that comes through a gate may well be like Hell.

'Where does this gate come from?' Kang Yu looked at the gate with a rapturous look, opening his eyes wide.

It was nothing like the Gate formed in Hell with the power of the Seven Great Demons. Absolutely.

— Kang Yu.

— Ah, yes. Let's go. — Han Sol's words pulled him out of his trance, and they stepped into the gate.

Flying through one world after another, their bodies moved in the tunnel with extraordinary ease.

— Let's gather the flock to E level and hunt the goblins.

— Got a tank?

— You don't need a robber?

— Sorry, no.

When they came out of the gate, they saw a group of people shouting at each other. It was as if they were in the bazaar.

Kang Yu looked at the people who had gathered at the gate entrance and felt a slight tingling in his chest again.

People.

What he wanted so much was for people to surround him from all sides.

'I really did come back.' Even though the earth was different from what he remembered, the scenery was still the same.

Now he was assuredly aware that he had returned, the remnants of his anxiety were gradually dissolving, and satisfaction and joy came in its place.

It felt like all his burdens had been lifted.

— Ahem, Kang Yu… — Han Sol neatly called out a guy, and he turned to her. — If you have time, why don't you come over and visit? I want to at least buy you lunch. —

She said it in a guilty voice, first looking at Kang Yu's torn clothes and then at her bandaged leg.

Of course, it would have been much more appropriate to offer financial compensation, but she didn't have that opportunity. Furthermore, she did not want to part with her savior by simply saying "thank you".

Kang Yu was immensely surprised to hear her offer.

The girl he had just rescued invited him to come and visit!

In the last ten thousand years, he could only see girls in his imagination. That's why, when he received the invitation, he felt a passionate burning desire.

The excitement was so strong that you could compare it with an invitation for drinks at the bar.

(P.P.: In the Korean version, "come to visit to eat ramen together").

'This is…' Kang Yu clenched his hands into fists.

A strong desire spread throughout his body.

'Warmth,' his imagination played out.

He imagined the two of them raising three children in a warm, cozy house, bringing a smile to his face.

'How warm,' he thought. The heart that had grown cold over ten thousand years was once again filled with warmth.