Past Life Returner

Chapter 491

「[Editorial] We Must Mature as the Awakened Have.

An earthquake of magnitude 2.1 on the Richter scale was observed at 5:23 PM today in the domestic World Awakened Association Headquarters. Steven Johansen, the executive secretary, clarified that “We have conducted blasting operations for the expansion of infrastructure underground.”

An official from the meteorological agency has explained that “The nature of the primary waves (P) and secondary waves (S) were different from those of natural earthquakes. This earthquake had a very shallow depth of focus, and the noise from the explosion was detected, which confirmed that blasting operations were indeed underway.” He further described that earthquakes are detected in the country when operations are conducted in mines and other similar places.

However, Lee Choong-Jo, the director of the Earthquake Monitoring Center of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, expressed some doubts. He commented, “It was a series of hundreds of explosions. The distance from the epicenter suggests that the main building and facilities of the association headquarters were inevitably affected. Yet it does not make sense, logically, to carry out blasting operations there.”

Reportedly, no damage was inflicted on the association’s facilities due to the operations. Also, an internet user who goes by the nickname ‘Follower of the King of Hell’ claimed to be a construction expert and wrote the following texts on the World Civilian Association website (http://minganin.com):

“The Richter scale of the blast observed this time is usually seen when constructing a dam. What kind of facility needed such blasting operations to be built? Regardless, we have learned another important fact. The Awakened have construction skills that surpass our human technology. That is quite amazing. No matter how much I look, I cannot find any related articles that equipment needed for blasting operations were deployed by the association. So, the truth of this incident is due to the skills of the Awakened.”

The post quickly became a hot topic, attracting one hundred twenty thousand comments and over a thousand related posts. There were various questions being raised about the blasting operations carried out by the association.

The operations conducted may have been carried out by Awakened, as these so-called experts and anonymous netizens suspect. Of course, it could also not be the case.

I would like to ask them: How is causing noise over the association’s internal affairs helpful to our civilization’s existence and survival?

There is something we must all remember. Even at this moment, He(1) is protecting Earth from the macro-world. Furthermore, the Guardian King of Hell had fought alone from the 18th to the 20th of last month. Also, the Awakened are being thrown into battlefields on behalf of humanity. If we remember these, then what we need to do becomes clear. Unconditional faith and support.

Looking at the controversy that has arisen, we are still very immature. We should make an effort to mature ourselves, reminding ourselves every moment of the war being fought by Him(2), Guardian King of Hell, and the Awakened under his command.

― Reporter Lee Soo-Won ― 」

「└ What the fuck. Mind your own business, you moron.

└ Reporters are really making a mess these days. Just putting ‘Awakened’ in their headline would make the view skyrocket. Maybe I should become a journalist.

└ No swearing. Reporter Lee Soo-Won has access to the Blue House and is quite skilled at filing complaints for defamation. FYI, he himself is currently on trial without detention for defamation lol. He is a master of litigation.

└ I feel bad for the Awakened. They haven’t been back from the Stage of Advent for very long.

└ The King of Hell truly is the protector of Earth. I still cannot shake off the chills after seeing him defending the assault. I am looking for a raw version of the clip. Willing to pay. Please message me.

└ The earthquake has to be due to the construction skill because if they have dug a huge tunnel and built some facility underground, it cannot be done in one day with our human technology. It is not just about digging.

└ World Awakened Association. Awakened. President Lee Tae-Han, Caliber Kwon Seong-Il, Guardian King of Hell, and Him(3). I sincerely believe in and support you! You all got this!

└ One of my relatives is a citizen of the Savior’s City. Every time I see posts like this, I am filled with pride. It is fortunate that the misunderstandings about the Awakened are finally being corrected. Please always support the Awakened who are fighting on behalf of us. At this very moment, there might be Awakened who are dying.

└ When will the elf slaves be in stock?

└ What slaves? Are you saying that even after watching the video released by the King of Hell? These sorts of rumors keep circulating because of immature kids like you. You are just pathetic. You should be dragged into war to learn a lesson.

└ I support the World Awakened Association.

└ I support the World Awakened Association.

└ But…are we not supposed to talk about Him(4)? I am most curious about Him(5), but I cannot find anything about Him(6).

└ Shh… 」

The reason that the editorial got caught by the monitoring program was because of the words ‘He’ and ‘Him.’ It was in the main text and also included in the comments.

The Korean staff who were monitoring noticed the suddenly frantic atmosphere at the association. After the blasting operation had ended, executives who had not been seen for a while started to come in and issue various directives.

There was only one case when the association clock was ticking faster than ever. It was because He had visited.

***

[* System]

[You have activated the blueprint ‘Skill, Advanced Physical Healing.’]

[You have activated the skill ‘Advanced Physical Healing.’]

“Yeon-Hee.”

Every time I saw Yeon-Hee after a long time, she was always in this state. If she was not physically hurt, then her mind was injured. If her mind was intact, then her physical condition was miserable.

After several activations, I managed to put out the most urgent fire. However, she was not completely recovered. Under the impact of Joshua’s ‘Contempt for the Weak,’ Yeon-Hee was wounded to a serious extent. The scars that remained like spiderwebs all over Yeon-Hee’s body once again ached my heart.

Just then, I heard a cautious knock outside. When I opened the door, I saw an empty corridor with the back of a hastily retreating staff member, and there were the items I had ordered at my feet. I brought them inside.

The first thing I did was cover Yeon-Hee’s naked body with a blanket. Then, I put her favorite vanilla and fudge-swirled ice cream separately in the freezer.

While I was arranging the clothes next to her bed, waiting for her to wake up, Yeon-Hee moaned and flinched in her sleep.

She was not yet conscious. I saw the horrific scars in her arms once again. I couldn’t help but think negatively every time I saw those scars.

Did it have to be this cruel? Just because Doom Kaos was watching, did Joshua have to use such force on her?

It wasn’t that I could not understand this based on Joshua’s nature, but…

I put Yeon-Hee’s arm back under the blanket and moved to the chair on the opposite side.

[Doom Kaos’s Amulet]

It was called an amulet, carried for protection. As I pulled it out, the unpleasantness I felt when I first saw it started to rise again. It was because of its shape.

Doom Kaos created it in the likeness of the talisman I had always carried in the past. It was the bank book my father made for me when he brought me to Jeonil Bank before I headed to New York.

Therefore, it was not a fucking encouragement. It was a warning not to forget about the past. It was such a terrible way of warning me, just like him. On top of that, it was difficult to figure out the true identity of this due to his irresponsible use of power.

[Doom Kaos’s Amulet (Item)

It is not just a simple bank book. It is a divine artifact created by the villain, Doom Kaos, who has directly infused his power into it. It also appears to have been made from a part of his physical body. The powerful defense system that protects the soul, spirit, and body imbued in the divine artifact surpasses the maximum effect of the trait Passion. It is because it is not limited to space and time. The remaining villain, Old One, will also have to be wary of this divine artifact.

“Doom Man will stand against the Old One with me.”

Item Class: SSS

Item Level: MAX

Effect: The user enters a state of invincibility transcending space and time.

Duration: 10 minutes

* It is a one-time use item.]

The first item I saw was in level MAX, and the effect was invincibility. Transcending space and time likely meant that even if time reversed, the effect would remain. I could not think beyond such an item being placed before me.

However, why would I not know? Handing over such an item readily suggested that something that could control me was planted in the item. There must have been a hidden trap this time as well.

Nonetheless, I did not add a blueprint. I did not even feel like extracting power from there either. I could not risk letting the core of this unidentified object infiltrate me. In the scenario that the Old One had planned, it had given me the ability to become a ‘Complete Retriever’ and had set a trap there.

If Doom Kaos’s goal was to contaminate my divine realm, then some side effects would have started as soon as I added the blueprint. Doom Kaos was aware of which domain I was handling.

It was much later when I heard the awaited voice.

“I will kill him… I won’t let him enjoy all these…”

The meaning embedded in her voice was not as I expected. Yeon-Hee’s eyes, filled with anger, were not looking at me right now. Her wrath was aimed at Joshua who was not here.

However, there was nothing abnormal about her apart from the scars. I squatted next to her and checked her again.

- Yeon-Hee: He betrayed you. We can’t leave him like this. That asshole is now Doom Kaos’s henchman.

Fortunately, the murderous intention in her eyes had subsided when she looked at me and began communicating with me telepathically.

- Seon-Hu: He might seem that way.

Yeon-Hee pressed her lips tightly, and the silence that followed was long. I examined her scars and frowned. However, I decided not to rush her.

- Yeon-Hee: It’s not that…

Once her outburst had completely faded, her eyes were filled with sorrow. She seemed to be blaming herself for something. Perhaps she was regretting that she had not looked into Joshua’s mental world before he became so powerful.

- Yeon-Hee: I want to clearly see with my own eyes how he came to serve you.

I got up at that point and brought the ice cream that I had put in the freezer. When I offered them to her, she closed her mouth again. However, she was not showing any interest in the ice cream either. I had hoped she would feel what I had felt with the soft tofu stew, through her favorite food from Earth.

However, given her current suspicion of Joshua after the harsh whipping, it seemed that was impossible.

- Yeon-Hee: Seon-Hu…

Yeon-hee glanced between the ice cream and me before speaking.

- Yeon-Hee: Do you truly have no doubt on him? How…? Okay, fine. I will admit up to Jonathan, but not him. I know that he opposed you in the past. He bowed to your power…

- Seon-Hu: Wait. Let’s not talk about that right now.

What was crucial at this moment was not her doubt. It was a secret between the two of them. I remembered that she liked being called by her full name, then I asked.

- Seon-Hu: What exactly happened, Woo Yeon-Hee? I need to hear about that first.