The Hero Has Returned

Chapter 9 - Advent

Ki Young-chul, a member of the 7th Factory's gang.

In his younger days when he was a Villain.

Ambushing and taking down a drunk A-rank Hunter as a group was the most spectacular achievement of his life.

But then, after confronting an S-rank Hunter and reaching the threshold of death, he was arrested and imprisoned.

For the entire 5 years he spent in prison, Ki Young-chul thought.

'Let's not get cocky. A pine caterpillar should just hide away and quietly stuff its face with pine needles.'

After his release, Ki Young-chul naturally drifted into the Ilsan Hunter Industrial Complex.

The presidents of each factory bowed their heads to Ki Young-chul of their own accord.

'Good. In a place like this, I can at least be the head of a chicken.'

He planned to spend his days quietly like this until retirement and make a hefty sum for himself.

That is, until President Kim from the 4th Factory came looking for him.

"Manager Ki—! Give me some help! One of the workers is smashing the press and raising hell, it's total chaos!"

The gang didn't just extort protection money.

They had their own justification, in a way.

From the 1st Factory to the 9th Factory.

In exchange for the protection money, they were to intervene in personal disputes and act as mediators.

If someone committed fraud or caused a serious problem, they would go and deliver immediate punishment through violence.

Here, the gang was moral principle, and justice.

"Lead the way."

Ki Young-chul led his subordinates and headed for the 4th Factory.

When he came face-to-face with the guy, he did feel a sense of unease.

'What's he relying on to be so confident?'

Him breaking his right hand was unexpected, but after that, he didn't let his guard down.

After all, Ki Young-chul was a veteran who had been through it all.

Just as he was about to deliver the final blow.

Fwooom!

A radiant light burst forth from the guy's body.

'......No way.'

The aura rising from his entire body formed an indescribably beautiful shape.

The ability itself wasn't that surprising.

It was something any Awakened could do.

It was a technique of wrapping mana around one's entire body to form a shield.

However,

'The quality of his mana is absurdly high!'

The guy's barrier was on a level where it could deflect not only his fists, but even bullets.

How much must one train to reach such a state?

'How can a brat like this... An A-rank? No, he might even surpass S-rank...'

For a moment, his concentration wavered without him even realizing it.

His body, which had been shimmering like a heat haze, came into focus.

"Caught you."

"......"

A faint pleasure lingering within the cold voice.

Even the corners of his mouth, curling into a grin.

Ki Young-chul sensed the killing intent and frantically unleashed a fierce onslaught, but it was useless.

"You talk too much."

The opponent didn't even flinch, and while maintaining his previous smile, he slowly raised his fist.

'What in the world is this person?'

An alien existence, completely incompatible with reality.

A word from a Bible verse he had once seen in prison came to Ki Young-chul's mind.

Advent.

A god born as a human.

This man, gleaming with a chillingly brilliant light, was truly the epitome of Advent.

Of course, that was just Ki Young-chul's delusion.

It was merely an over-interpretation of a hero's skill from a comic book.

'Damn it. I should've just gone to the countryside and farmed.'

With a thwack!, Ki Young-chul's vision went dark.

......

When the lanky guy collapsed, the surroundings became dead silent.

I turned and said to the guy's subordinates.

"If you're going to attack, then come at me all at once. My break time is already over."

The subordinates exchanged glances, then without a word, they helped the lanky guy up.

I thought they would just leave quietly.

One of them shouted at me.

"You think you'll get away with this? The Big Hyungnim won't let this go!"

He challenged me bravely, but perhaps because he was scared of me, he kept his distance.

"Big Hyungnim" referred to the gang's boss.

The gang's leader had entrusted the organization to that lanky guy and mainly operated externally.

In my past life, I had seen him get into armed conflicts with other gangs.

The image of him raging like a madman, indiscriminately stabbing people's abdomens with a sashimi knife, was seared into my memory.

'Can I win?'

I used the lanky guy to test my skills,

and have now completed my assessment to a certain extent.

Thanks to that, I no longer had any doubts about myself.

As the fog of disbelief lifted completely, a firm trust settled in its place.

'The hero ability is real.'

I possessed enough power to completely overwhelm the big shots of the real world.

Still, I couldn't be completely at ease.

"Good. Go and tell them this exactly."

I said to the gang members.

"Tell them not to show their faces in the 4th Factory ever again."

At those words, one of the subordinates supporting the lanky guy glared at me murderously, then soon turned to leave.

"Let's go."

Soon after, the factory workers standing behind me erupted in cheers.

Kkalkki, in particular, raised his voice.

"You heard what our Cap'n said loud and clear, right? If you punks show up again, you're dead! Piss off! You worthless, weak-ass motherfuckers!”

The gang's tyranny here was considerable.

As if taking money every month under the guise of protection fees wasn't enough, they also forced them to buy cheap liquor and lured workers into illegal gambling dens.

Moreover, in a few years, they would grow into a nationwide gang.

They would then manage drug distribution, eating away at the Republic of Korea.

A rising star in the world of trash, should I say?

'Things like them should be nipped in the bud.'

Amid this moment of crossed joy and sorrow, there was one person who couldn't belong to either side.

It was the president who had shown up leading the gang.

He was stuck in the middle, unable to do anything, cautiously watching the situation.

The workers only shot the president unwelcome glances; no one spoke to him.

In the awkward atmosphere, I walked up to the president alone.

"President-nim."

When I casually raised my hand, he flinched in surprise and stepped back.

"Uh, uh... Yong-gi-ya. The thing is..."

I grabbed his shoulder tightly and pulled him.

"Keuk!"

The president squeezed his eyes shut and was dragged toward me like a scarecrow.

With everyone's eyes fixed on us.

"Th-That is, the thing is. It's not that I meant to bring those bastards here."

I wanted to beat the shit out of him right then and there, but.

'Fists aren't the solution to everything.'

No matter how much the police take bribes from the gang and give them a slap on the wrist.

That is strictly limited to the gang.

If I, a mere factory worker, were to lead with force, it was obvious things would get complicated.

The best move was.

"Thank you for your hard work all this time."

"Huh, what?"

The president didn't seem to have understood my words.

Then again, was it only the president?

The people gathered here all tilted their heads in confusion, as if on cue.

"Thank you for your hard work...? Don't tell me, Yong-gi, are ya gonna quit the factory and become a Hunter?"

"Well, if he's Awakened, there's no reason to stay in a tiny place like this."

At someone's words, everyone else nodded in agreement.

Except for Kkalkki.

"Cap'n! Ya really quittin' the fact'ry?"

As if overwhelmed by a flood of emotions, Kkalkki's voice cracked.

I shook my head and continued.

"No."

My gaze remained fixed on the president.

"This factory, hand it over to me. I'll buy it."

I continued.

A stillness hung in the air.

The president scoffed, his face a mask of disbelief.

"Huh? Yong-gi, how on earth are you going to buy the factory? With your salary? Even if this is just a third-tier vendor, its annual sales are over 10 billion won!"

He was right.

I didn't have that kind of money on me.

The money I had saved my entire life was a mere 1 billion won.

Even having died and come back, I couldn't afford to buy the factory.

However, there were plenty of ways for me to get a lump sum of money in the future.

The president smiled obsequiously.

"Yong-gi-ya. I'll get the press fixed. Let's just leave it at that for now. Alright? I'm sorry. Really."

I let go of the president's shoulder.

Right. Let's leave it at that.

Because you'll be unemployed soon enough.

I checked my wristwatch and shouted to the foreman.

"Let's get to work!"

......

The long day was over.

"You've all worked hard!”

"Im-ssi! Wanna hit up karaoke today?"

"Oh. Karaoke sounds great! Should I go and belt out a tune for the first time in a while?"

The workers heading home broke off into groups and scattered.

The foreman approached me and said,

"Yong-gi-ya. How's yer body feelin'?"

I may have won against the lanky guy, but I wasn't completely unscathed.

From being beaten all over, there wasn't a single spot on my body that didn't ache.

My face was a wreck, too.

"I'm perfectly fine. I'm young, after all."

As I put on a needless bluff, the foreman nodded bitterly.

"...You are young. Still, don't go pushin' yourself too hard. If it's tough, take tomorrow off. We've got Kkalkki, after all."

The foreman patted my shoulder and went on his way.

I heard the sound of someone crunching on a snack right next to me.

"Sheesh. How come no one asks for my opinion, jeez?"

Scared me.

Kkalkki was standing beside me silently, like a ghost.

Loudly crunching on shrimp crackers.

When did this kid get here?

"Why? You're not going to cover for me?"

Kkalkki grinned.

"Ayy, of courze I will."

Only the two of us remained inside the dreary 4th Factory.

"I'm hungry. Up for some frozen pork and soju for the first time in a while?"

"Oh! I'm so down!"

A short while later, Kkalkki returned with some purchases.

In the plastic bag were frozen pork belly and soju.

This combination was our signature comfort food.

I spoke with more grim determination than usual.

"Let's begin."

"As you commannnd, my Cap'n!"

As if by prearrangement, Kkalkki and I moved with perfect coordination.

We spread newspapers on the factory floor, sat down, and lit the portable burner.

The frozen pork belly sizzled on the grill pan, cooking to an appetizing brown.

We clinked our soju glasses, filled with the clear liquid.

After downing a shot, Kkalkki furrowed his brow and yelled.

"Kya! Damn! This is killer!"

Just as the mood was perfectly ripe.

Kkalkki made a lettuce wrap and handed it to me.

I took it and popped it in my mouth.

"Cap'n. Was what you said before for real?"

It was cheap pork from Spain, but the more I chewed, the more it blended with the zesty ssamjang, spreading a rich, savory flavor throughout my mouth.

"That the Cap'n killed Big Lava and the Dio Guild Hunter..."

Kkalkki was the only one to whom I had confessed my identity.

Why had I done that?

It was probably because I had judged that it would be too difficult to do what I had planned for the future all by myself.

Just as I had told the president, I planned to take over this factory.

And I was planning to start something else, too.

It might be a rough, thorny path.

Nevertheless, it was something I desperately wanted to do.

To do so, I needed a trustworthy comrade.

"That's right. I'm the Purple Devil."

While I was at it, I revealed my future plans as well.

"From now on, I'm thinking of working at the factory by day, and seriously playing the part of a hero by night."

In my past life, I tried to avenge my younger brother by relying on others.

As you can see, the result was not good.

My grandmother once told me.

— Bein' rich is fine, bein' poor is fine. But you do what ya believe is right. Ya hear?

The hero ability I'd obtained was unrelated to any standard of good and evil.

I could beat down the gang with .

But there was also no problem at all with murdering an innocent citizen.

To realize the justice that I believe is right.

That was what I truly wanted in this life.

"Playing the part of a hero..."

Kkalkki clapped his hands together with a smack!.

"That's awesome! Cap'n! This is our little secret, right-zee?"

The kid wasn't surprised, nor did he object.

On the contrary, he was all for it.

"Is there anythin' I can do to help? You're my mentor, Cap'n, so just gimme the order!"

In fact, there was a job I desperately wanted to entrust to Kkalkki.

I stood up and threw off the old factory jumper I was wearing.

I walked through the rising dust and moved to a different spot.

As the tipsy warmth of the alcohol spread through me, my face flushed.

I slowly looked around.

As this was a place that made Hunter equipment, a variety of materials were on hand.

"Kkalkki. There is, in fact, something that only you can do."

"Ooh! What is it! Cap'n!"

"For my sake..."

Under an orange spotlight, I climbed onto the broken, wrecked press machine.

"Make me a hero suit.”