I took a deep breath in. It didn’t take long to perceive and acknowledge the situation. The sun was still up and my heart was beating faster than ever. I sat on the chair in the middle of a messy room. Then, I picked up the remote and turned the TV on.
“Introducing, the group that became an instant hit with their first album! The girl group who is as sweet as cotton candy, Sweet Honey!”
Moments later, 11 young girls appeared on the screen and started a cute dance.
Many people cheered them on, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of them as well. However, I was cheering for a different reason. I remembered that girl group as well as the subsequent idol groups and singers that came on after them.
‘It was March 2015.’
I confirmed the date again. My current self was still in a daze about traveling back in time.
In order to stir the future into the right direction, I need to be aware of my every action and choices. I made a note of this to myself.
‘It’s dangerous to leave any traces behind.’
Nothing was clear to me right now. If Minshik returned along with me, it was possible that another dangerous element may exist. This was why I needed to keep my thoughts to myself.
But first...March 2, 2015.
It’s been 10 days since his parents passed away.
I was 19-years old and a junior in high school. Back then, I wasn’t particularly talented in anything, but I enjoyed playing soccer with my friends. After my parents passed away in the car accident, I would be a homebody and a hermit holed in my house for quite some time.
‘It’s been two years since my name was registered into Mr. Yang’s family.’
Mr. Yang only took me in because he was interested in was my insurance money.
But this situation lasted for only two years.
Two years later, the entire world would undergo a massive apocalypse.
A rift that connected Earth to another dimension opened and the existence of otherworldly monsters was revealed to the world. Luckily, I awakened as a Magic Swordsman and started walking the path of a hero after being elected by the government.
‘But, the door has already been opened.’
I didn’t know back then. But I survived as the remaining hero of humanity; of course, I came to know all sorts of secrets in the world.
The rift was already open in 2015, just around this time period.
No one tried to deliberately cover it up, and the monsters that crossed over were too few in number to be discovered.
‘This means…I have two years to prepare.’
Monster and awakened humans. Those that were coined the title ‘superhuman’ would begin to awake in two years time. Additionally, although they were small in numbers, some awakened even now.
It was possible that they weren’t aware their newfound powers. Even though they might have awakened, they could only grow stronger by hunting monsters. Recently awakened humans were just a bit stronger than ordinary people. On the other hand, although I awakened two years after the rift had opened, I was able to grow more quickly than others. The Magic Swordsman class that I awakened as was the main reason for my growth.
But I am here two years before the beginning of the true apocalypse. This was a bouncing board for me to reach even higher boundaries than I achieved in the past.
‘The Magic Swordsman class was unique in that I could increase my magic abilities and swordsmanship at the same time. However, I couldn’t reach the pinnacle of any skill as well.’
For a moment, I contemplated about the power I had in the past. Magic Swordsman. I was guaranteed growth at a fast pace since I was able to use two different powers. But as time passed, I reached a bottleneck. Even though I remained as the last surviving hero, I couldn’t reach my true potential.
I stroked my chin. Since I returned, I had to choose which path I would walk on.
‘The rift is open already, and if I wanted to, I could acquire another hidden class.’
The more overpopulated an area was, the more rifts would be opened. Of course, a rift was currently open in Korea this year, and I knew it was.
However, I didn’t want to take any rash actions.
‘Minshik. He came back too…’
Minshik was kind. It was in his nature to help those in need and would give candy to a kid who was crying. He was so innocent that he wouldn’t watch any porn. But, as soon as this world became chaotic, he became the middle manager of a newly rising cult named Aletheia. The newly rising cult, Aletheia!
They bred monsters and massacred humans, turning them into the center of evil.
There was no excuse for his actions.
To be a part of a group like that meant his hands were covered in the blood of countless people. It also meant that he wasn’t innocent anymore. But he still came looking for me. He ran towards me and gave me a hug.
Did he want to renew our old friendship?
‘A new life, a new friendship.’
Before locating the temple, I tried to get rid of Aletheia several times. And when I met Minshik during my third attempt, he was pessimistic about himself because he was jealous of how powerful I had become.
He said he would turn back time and become a hero. A hero, a better hero than me!
He was crying like a kid and I couldn’t it in myself to kill him. Seeing Minshik wet his pants and stuttering away from me, I couldn’t strike the fatal blow to his heart.
‘Let’s think calmly.’
I wasn’t overconfident nor was did I underestimate myself. If Minshik found out that I returned with him, he could turn his blade towards me making it the worst case scenario.
The memories in my head were top secret. The only one that could handle them was me.
He said that he would become a hero, but he had already deeply associated himself with evil.
‘What if Minshik wasn’t the only one that returned?’
This was my biggest worry.
What if the other followers returned to the past through Chronos’s power?
I would become their main enemy as I tried to wipe them out multiple times in the past. Since I attacked their temple, I would be the first on their list to eliminate.
Thus, there was a need to carefully analyze my current situation. There could be a connection between Minshik and Aletheia. I needed to get rid of the idea that Minshik and I were the only ones that returned.
Someone could be watching my every move right now. I’ll have to think about every possible outcome, including worst case scenarios, before taking any action.
‘I guess I need to act for the time being.’
I’m talking about a teenager who just lost his parents.
*****
I spent five more days eating ramen bowls in my room without ventilation. Not knowing who might appear, I didn’t bother to wash. I couldn’t look more exhausted than I already was.
Of course, I set up a few simple traps in case of any emergency.
‘No one is watching me.’
This was my conclusion after carefully taking note of my surroundings for the past couple of days. I had donned a hat and pretended to walk to the store to watch for any suspicious activity, but I didn’t feel anyone observing me. If no one was watching me, this meant I could be more active.
With the television and the internet, I tried to search for any abnormalities that were occurring in the world lately.
‘There weren’t any changes that were eye catching.’
During the past five days, there were a couple phone calls for me. I didn’t answer any of them. Instead, I watched the news and scoured the internet even more for any signs.
In the end, nothing came up as expected. I didn’t remember any unusual occurrences back then as well.
‘Did the followers of Aletheia not return?’
There was no way to verify this; I just left it as a possibility.
They were violent. If most of them had returned, a catastrophe would have happened by now.
Slurp!
I drank the remaining broth from the ramen bowl. Ramen was all I ate during the past five days. It was getting stale, but I didn’t care much.
While I was actively serving in the world government, many industrial products stopped being manufactured causing ramen bowls to rise up in value as a valuable good. Of course, I could have eaten them if I wanted to, but as the last remaining hero, I had to be a role model.
It was to the extent that after killing a monster, I had to stand on a platform and put on a forceful smile for the cameras, making it one of the most awkward moments of my life. This was why I was fine with eating ramen bowls for a month.
Knock. Knock.
It was at this moment.
The thread that I strung on to the outside of the window started trembling.
I immediately turned my gaze to the small mirror that was beside the computer. The small mirror reflected the hallway outside of the door. I angled it so that I could check to see who was coming.
‘It’s Mr. Yang…and his daughter.’
Mr. Yang. His full name was Yang Manwoo. His daughter’s name was Yang Eunha. He used to work with my father since I was little and visited our family often.
Yang Manwoo stood in front of the door and started shouting.
“Hansung! Open the door, please. How long are you going to stay in there?”
Bang, bang, bang!
Yang Manwoo knocked on the door continuously.
“I was worried so I got the keys from the security guard. If you don’t open the door, I will.”
Creaak!
I had no choice but to open the door. Seeing my exhausted face, Yang Manwoo let out a deep sigh. Then, he opened his arms and gave me a hug.
“You idiot. Why are you being so stupid? Huh? You should eat properly at least. The dead won’t come back so the living should keep on living.”
Pat! Pat!
He patted my back while hugging me tightly.
“Let’s go in. Let’s go in and talk. I have a lot to say to you.”
He forced himself into my house as if he didn’t care about what I thought. Yang Manwoo was that kind of person. The kind that had no respect for other people.
Yang Eunha carefully followed behind her dad. She looked like a junior in high school and objectively speaking, she was incredibly pretty.
She was the typical beauty with a tall figure and a flowing jet-black hair.
Even if she was donning shorts and a simple white t-shirt, she would attract the gazes of men.
She was just as pretty as the members of the Sweet Honey group that appeared on TV or other idol groups in general
‘I remember.’
I saw Yang Manwoo several times, but it’s been years since I’ve seen Yang Eunha. The last time I saw her, she was in middle school. When I saw her then, it felt like I was seeing a flower bloom. He probably brought her here to see my reaction…
“Ugh, the smell."
As soon as she walked inside, Eunha pinched her nose and scrunched her face up. And she looked at me as if she was dissatisfied.
She was an arrogant girl. She was probably forced to come here by her dad.
Yang Manwoo forced her to come. His intentions were obvious.
“Eunha, please be understanding. Hansung is going through hard times right now. Don’t you think we should be more understanding in times like this?”
“Dad, this isn’t a place a human could live in.”
“Ah, Hansung. You’ve seen Eunha when you were in middle school right? She’s my daughter. She may seem ill-mannered, but she’s a really good kid at heart. She insisted on cleaning your house for you, so I had no choice but to bring her here.”
I leaned myself against the sofa for a moment and remembered the past. I was entranced by Yang Eunha when she walked into my house at this exact moment in the past.
Yang Manwoo had comforted me and tried to manipulate me like this back then. Taking my life insurance money and inheritance was his ulterior motive.