NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 1
Episode 1
Prologue: Return (歸還)
I had always wished for an ordinary life. To be precise, I wanted a peaceful, uneventful existence.
That life of mine changed completely…
“Do Haun!!”
…when I was struck by what people often call the “Reincarnation Truck.”
Ah, let me revise that. It wasn’t a “Reincarnation Truck”; it was a “Transport Truck.” After being hit by it, I didn’t “reincarnate” but was instead transported to another dimension.
Is “dimension” the right word? Even now, I’m not entirely sure. What I do know for certain is that it was an entirely different world, not Earth.
A world of Mages and knights, heroes and demon lords, saints and priests. I have no idea how long I stayed there.
“Stayed” might not be the right word; “was held captive” seems more accurate.
Anyway, all of that is in the past now.
“Haun, you said you’re heading into the city today, right? I’ll give you a ride. Hurry and eat your breakfast.”
“Okay.”
Because I’ve safely returned.
As I took a big bite out of a huge sandwich, my brother’s phone started ringing.
“Guild Master, I’m sorry to interrupt your meal. I have urgent news to report.”
“What is it?”
“About the dungeon expedition…”
“Yul-ah, hold on. Haun, sorry, you go ahead and eat.”
“Okay.”
But as fate would have it, my world was already a mess.
The moment I finally managed to return, the first thing I faced was the enormous maw of a monster. Emerging from that gaping mouth was none other than my brother, the same one who’d just apologized before rushing off.
He’d apparently become a Hunter. Not just that, he was leading one of Korea’s top guilds.
At the time, I thought it had nothing to do with me.
| Northern Grand Duke |: Bored.
| 9th Circle Archmage |: Go study.
| Northern Grand Duke |: Life just got interesting all of a sudden!
Yes, “thought” being the key word here.
My brother, still on the phone, couldn’t see the messages floating in front of my eyes.
As I scooped another spoonful of rice into my mouth, I replied to the message.
| Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Stop slacking and get to work, guild members.
A Situation Without Answers
“Did something happen with Do Hain?”
“Huh?”
“You were talking about dungeons or something just now.”
Apparently not expecting me to ask, my brother gave an awkward smile.
“Nothing happened. Don’t worry about it, Haun.”
Well, if you say so.
I nodded as I popped the last spoonful of rice into my mouth. Breakfast ended uneventfully, and we were about to head out together when the phone in my pocket started ringing loudly.
[Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters]
At approximately 09:37 AM today, a gate has appeared near the Han River Bridge.
Residents in the vicinity are advised to evacuate immediately.
My brother let out a deep sigh. Picking up my laptop, I said, “You don’t have to take me. Just go.”
“It’s fine, Haun. If no emergency summons has been issued, it’s probably not that big.”
But before he could even finish his sentence, a series of messages began flooding in.
[Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters]
Gate classification: Level 5.
Under the Special Disaster Act, all nearby Awakened are to respond to the summons immediately.
[Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters]
Gate classification revised to Level 2.
Under the Special Disaster Act, all nearby Awakened are to respond to the summons immediately.
Gate Level 2, huh? This one must be pretty big.
As if on cue, my brother’s phone began to ring loudly again, likely calls requesting his presence. With a Level 2 gate, they would need Hunters as powerful as him.
“Go ahead. Be careful,” I said.
“…Sorry, Haun.”
“No need to apologize.”
Despite my reassurance, he kept apologizing profusely before hurrying out of the house. Once he was gone, I lazily slipped on my shoes and opened the door.
Although the Han River Bridge was quite far from our home, the wailing of sirens was deafening. This gate really was a significant one.
Gates—
These phenomena would suddenly engulf their surroundings and manifest out of nowhere. They were categorized on a scale from 1 to 9, much like test scores. The difference, however, was that the higher the grade of a gate, the grimmer the situation became.
In a way, it was like…
20■■ | 2nd Semester | GPA: 1.78
…my grades.
I slumped onto the café table and banged my head in despair.
At least it seemed the gate had been closed quickly. The incessant blaring of my phone had gone silent as if it had all been a lie.
| 9th Circle Archmage |: Did a gate really pop up during my morning commute?
No wonder it closed so fast.
| Northern Grand Duke |: Why are you so late to work?
| 9th Circle Archmage |: Because my shift starts at 10.
| Northern Grand Duke |: What?! Which company is this? Take me with you!!
| 9th Circle Archmage |: Okay.
| 9th Circle Archmage |: But we finish at 10 PM, too.
| Northern Grand Duke |: Never mind.
It was amusing how active the guild chat was at moments like this. I closed the guild window and shut my laptop as well.
The haunting sight of F’s scattered across my screen felt like icy daggers stabbing into my chest.
“It’s okay, Haun. Even if you end up in sixth grade again, it doesn’t matter. You’ll just be repeating elementary school, right?”
My brother’s words echoed in my mind. He had tried to sound comforting, but his tone was anything but.
I was doomed. Completely and utterly doomed. I stifled a sigh that threatened to escape.
“This world…”
It felt as though it were mocking me, whispering, “Is this even a score?”
Sadly, that “1.78” was my actual GPA. People would ask how such a low score was even possible. The answer? It turns out that missing just one exam in college can easily earn you an F. Don’t ask me how I know. I’ve lived through it.
Anyway…
Yep, I’m failing this semester again.
Hain: Grades out yet?
My phone buzzed, right on cue.
Hain: Send them to me.
I frowned at the message glaring back at me from the dark screen.
Send what? And more importantly, how does he even have the nerve to contact me about this?
I quickly locked the screen.
But of course, my phone continued to light up relentlessly.
Hain: Don’t leave me on read.
Bzzz—bzzz.
“Ugh, seriously.”
That annoying Hain finally decided to call me. I considered ignoring it but realized doing so would only make my life more difficult. Resigned, I picked up.
“Wow, the world sure has advanced. LTE even works in dungeons now? How does someone raiding a dungeon have time to send texts?”
“We’re on 5G now, dear sister. And by the way, the dungeon raid’s already done. Now tell me—did you pass this time? Are you finally graduating?”
Quick clear, huh? I guess it really wasn’t a big deal, just like you said.
“Didn’t you know about the gate? Haven’t you checked on him? Aren’t you even worried about our brother?”
“There’s no way he’d get hurt, and I confirmed that the gate’s already closed ages ago. Now hurry up and spill—did you pass? Are you graduating this time?”
His pressing tone made me answer plainly.
“Nope, failed again.”
“You…!!”
The shouting on the other end of the line was so loud that I quickly pulled the phone away from my ear. Even without speaker mode, his voice blared out clearly.
“Do Haun! Hey! How could you fail again? Aren’t you embarrassed to even face our brother?”
“Nope, not embarrassed at all. My brother is always proud of me.”
“Proud of what exactly?!”
“He said last time, ‘My sister might just attend elementary school twice. Isn’t that impressive?’”
“And you thought that was a compliment?!”
Of course, it didn’t feel like one.
A sharp ache pierced my chest. It wasn’t like I wanted to waste tuition money.
Not that I was even wasting it.
[The Constellation, ‘Starry Night,’ has issued a request.]
A blue window popped up in my field of vision.
I tapped my phone, cutting the conversation short.
“Busy, gotta go.”
“What could you possibly be—”
Sorry, little brother.
I hung up and turned off the phone entirely, effectively silencing my pesky twin brother. Now, it was time to deal with the message in front of me.
[The Constellation, ‘Starry Night,’ requests that the guild, Return (歸還), retrieve the stolen A-grade holy relic, Starry Night.]
Constellations—mysterious beings who conceal their true names and remain hidden in the heavens. They cannot fully manifest beneath the sky and can only reveal their presence by sending artifacts imbued with their power.
And yet, one of them was here, in this humble little place.
I already knew why, of course. But still, couldn’t they have come while the gate was still open?
If they had, then maybe…
Grumbling with complaints that wouldn’t change a thing, I read the details of the request.
[The counterfeit version of the A-grade holy relic, Starry Night, is currently on display at an exhibition where a is set to take place. Retrieve the stolen A-grade holy relic, Starry Night, from there.]
▷ Guild Reward: A-grade relic, Portrait of a Woman Without Eyebrows
…What kind of reward is this? Don’t tell me this is what I think it is. How did that even end up in your possession?
Regardless, I had no choice but to accept the esteemed Constellation’s request. Or rather, I couldn’t refuse—there was no “Decline” button in the message that appeared.
What’s worse, until I accepted, the message wouldn’t disappear from my vision.
The moment I agreed, a timer appeared along with a description of the terrifying consequences of failure.
【00:57:34】
▷ Failure Consequences: All participants in the will lose their lives.