Chapter 5. Unfamiliar Land with Familiar Landscape (Part 2)

Editor: Cherish

— It's not polite to refuse, so I'll gladly accept your invitation. — Kang Yu's eyes shone when he nodded.

He wouldn't even think of rejecting such an offer.

— Mmn, then follow me. — Han Sol smiled a little and turned around.

At that moment one of the men at the gate came in their direction. He was dressed in war-like clothes.

— Player ID, please.

— Ah, here you go. — At the request of the man, Han Sol calmly pulled out an E-level ID.

— The identity is confirmed. — Not even a second later, he checked her identity and nodded approvingly with a tired expression.

For some reason, Kang Yu had the impression that the man was a barkeeper checking documents.

— Sir, your documents.

'What a mess.' Kang Yu's face changed, and he got tense.

Who knew this could happen?

It was a problem.

Right now, he didn't have a player ID.

'If I say I lost it, it'll get more complicated.'

And if he found his old ID, some problems might come up.

Especially considering the fact that he moved into the future for five years.

Then all his plans for a peaceful return to Earth and his future life could collapse.

'And most importantly…' If the situation gets more complicated, he could miss out on his chance to visit Han Sol.

What he'd been waiting for ten thousand years could dissolve like sea foam.

'I can't let that happen." If he missed such a great chance, he'd be a complete fool.

As they say, 'Strike while the iron's hot'

— Wait for a second. — Kang Yu, with a serious expression, rummaged through his pocket.

Of course, there was nothing in his pocket.

'It's going to be difficult to use force now, but…' He'd noticed how the man checked Han Sol's I.D.

It didn't even take a second to check.

— Just a second…— It was time to use what little energy he still had.

— Here it is. — Kang Yu took his hand out of his pocket and covered his palm with his thumb.

At the same time, the Power also manifested itself.

The Power of Illusion.

Thanks to it, the consciousness of the person you're talking to would become clouded and he would see whatever was necessary.

The use of this power required a tremendous amount of Magi.

Moreover, the higher the level of the interlocutor, more power was required, but fortunately, the person who checked the identity cards was lower than Han Sol in level.

Under the influence of the power, the gaze of the man in uniform dimmed for a moment. He looked at Kang Yu's palm and nodded slowly.

— Your identity has been confirmed. — The check lasted just a second, but all of Kang Yu's accumulated energy was used up.

Kang Yu held back his heavy breathing and lowered his hand.

— Then, we'll go.

— Yes, we will.

They turned their back on the inspector and headed towards Han Sol's house.

'Finally.' It seemed like his legs were carrying themselves in the right direction.

As someone once said, 'There's no limit to human greed.'

At first, he thought it would be enough to meet an ordinary girl with two eyes, one nose and one mouth, but as more time passed, the more he admired the beauty of Han Sol.

Imagining what would happen at her house, he clenched both hands firmly.

'YOLO!'

***

— This is my house.

He followed Han Sol to a shabby-looking building.

Not only did her house look old, but so did everything in the area.

'She doesn't seem to be living well?' The place they had come to looked nothing like the attractive skyscrapers in a row he had anticipated seeing.

He looked at Han Sol with a look filled with confidence:

"It's okay, I'll make some quick money and buy us a nice house."

He had already mapped out their future happy life together.

The door opened.

— Mom, I'm home!

'Mom?' Of course, Kang Yu's disillusioned mind had thought she was living alone.

That's why his face was expressing his extreme disappointment right now.

An exhausted middle-aged woman rushed to meet them.

— Is everything okay? Did you hurt yourself?

— It's okay.

— You have company with you, just like I told you to, right?

— Ah… yes, of course… — said Han Sol, tugging at her sleeves and avoiding meeting her mother's expectant eyes. Then, she looked at Kang Yu and explained in a hurry:

— This is Kang Yu, and we met at the Dungeon. I was in a dangerous situation because of a monster attack, but Kang Yu saved me.

— Oh, thank you, Kang Yu! — The middle-aged woman grabbed Kang Yu's hands and bowed her head gratefully.

He sensed that the woman was very worried about her daughter, who 'travels' all the time.

'Shit.' Kang Yu was listening now, but couldn't hear the woman's gratitude.

'So, she really was only calling me for lunch,' Kang Yu thought, looking at Han Sol.

The future that Kang Yu had planned in his head was shattered.

He was in the mood to climb to the top of the mountain and then throw himself down.

— Kang Yu…

— Oh, yeah. I was just thinking. — He quickly turned his attention back to reality.

No one had promised him anything, but he still felt cheated, and despair clouded his mind.

— Our house… it's not very nice, as you can see. But don't worry, our food is great. — Han Sol, looking at the grim face of the guy, thought he was disappointed with their place of residence.

— Ah, don't worry, that's not why I'm like this. — Before going to Hell, Kang Yu had been a lonely orphan, and lived in a small room that looked much worse than her house.

There had been days when it was difficult to even get food.

'But still better than Hell.' In fact, living on Earth, even if you are hungry, is much better than living in Hell among constant battles, in which you constantly risk your life.

— Please, come in, Kang Yu.

— Sorry, our modest home is not often visited by guests. — The guy was warmly welcomed and invited to come in.

The size of the house was about 20 pyeong.

(P.P.: the measure of land area; 1 pyeong = 3.3 square meters).

Compared to its shabby appearance, the size was quite decent.

— Kang Yu, wait a moment. I'll get everything ready quickly.

— Would it be all right if I asked you for a favor?

— Yes, of course. — Han Sol's expression turned serious and nodded affirmatively.

Kang Yu continued in a calm voice:

— I lost my phone. Can I use quickly yours?

— Ah, of course! — She took the smartphone out of her pocket and gave it to Kang Yu.

The phone looked very old, and there was a thick crack on the screen. Kang Yu recognized the phone model.

'Even though five years have passed…' he thought to himself, convinced that the girl really wasn't in the best position.

'But can I scroll through the news on the Internet on it?' He needed to figure out what had happened to Earth in five years.

The Gate and the Players. That's something that wasn't exactly on the Earth he was used to.

Kang Yu found the articles from five years ago and began reading them carefully.

[Sharp changes 22.02.2018. Earth changes in an unrecognizable direction]

[Riots caused by a large number of gates all over the Earth]

[Monsters call for reinforcements. Defenders army brutally murdered]

[America urgently offers to unite all countries.] [Korea has become the 9th country to join the alliance]

[The first Players appeared in America. Who are they?]

[A sharp increase in Players all over the planet. Are they the hope of humanity?]

[Are romances becoming a reality? The Players had appeared in Korean novels over a decade ago. A large number of novels, at the request of "The Player"]

— Hmm… — Kang Yu, leisurely looking through the articles, frowned.

February 22, 2018, is the day that the Gate appeared all over the world. And also the day that he'd walked through the black gate to Hell.

So I just walked into one of the many gates. If you think about it, it was probably true.

Kang Yu looked for information about his gate, but there was no detailed description of the gate on the Internet.

'Then I'll look again.'

If it threatened national security, the information probably wouldn't be available online.

Once everything was prepared, he should go to the state authorities.

— What are you looking for so diligently? — Han Sol, who was busy cooking, approached him for a while.

— I had to make sure of something, so I flipped through the news.

— Should I cook lunch later then?

— No, I'm good. Let's eat.

He generally understood the big picture. He was glad that, unlike Hell, he could move around on his own and learn more about the changed Earth.

— Everything is ready, wait a little longer. — Han Sol returned from the kitchen with a deep pot. — Kimchi jjigae. I would give you a plate, but alas. —

With a guilty expression on her face, she put the pot on the table and opened the lid.

The fragrance instantly flew all over the room, causing him to drool at the dish immediately.

Kang Yu stared at the kimchi jjigae. Pleasant thoughts filled his head.

— Kimchi… jjigae… — He kept staring at the pot, or rather, at its contents.

The broth bubbled temptingly, the red kimchi was fragrant, and the pieces of meat on top seduced the boy.

— Kimchi jjigae!!!

Kang Yu had waited so long for this moment that his heart beat faster with excitement.

This was what he'd been dreaming about for ten thousand years every day.

He leaned sharply toward the table like a tramp who had been hungry for weeks.

'It's good to be back.'

A warm tear rolled down his cheek.