The Returner

Chapter 194: I don’t need a reason to seek him out (4)

It’d have been utterly unimaginable for Yun Hyuk-Gyu to go one on one with an Ogre only a few months ago.

This was a dang Ogre they were talking about here. It was the worst possible monster to pop out from a level 5 Gate.

It was the most horrifying creature humanity had faced yet. So much so that just one of them appearing from a Gate would throw the entirety of America into a state of panic.

Also, didn’t the Koreans fall into despair during that nuclear power station incident until Yi Ji-Hyuk stepped up to take care of the situation? Back then, there was no guarantee of stopping an Ogre even if every single ability user in South Korea were to be mobilised. That was the power of an Ogre.

But now....

“There, there, now.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu leisurely approached the nicely-roasted Ogre.

The monster rolled desperately around on the ground and managed to barely put out all the flames burning on its body. It bared its fangs and glared angrily at Yun Hyuk-Gyu.

“Oho?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu frowned slightly at that still-rebellious glare of the Ogre.

How dare a measly little Ogre glare at him like this? If it was Oh-Sik, fine. That was understandable. Well, that guy had gone off the far end of the scale to be called an Ogre now, you see.

Having been injected with Yi Ji-Hyuk’s Mana, Oh-Sik could no longer be called an ‘Ogre’ per se.

If a regular Ogre ran into Oh-Sik, then well, the poor monster would be dissected in its entirety and die in around three seconds.

“....Including me, too.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Even if it was Yun Hyuk-Gyu, he simply couldn’t compare to Oh-Sik at all. Didn’t he hear that Oh-Sik was already the most powerful being out of all the Ogres out there even before he became Yi Ji-Hyuk’s slave?

Indeed, if he was a gorilla, then he’d have been a Silverback. Oh-Sik was the leader class of all the Ogres, in other words.

So, unless it was on the level of Oh-Sik’s class, a regular Ogre didn’t stand a chance against the current Yun Hyuk-Gyu. Not just him, though, but every NDF agent should be able to solo an Ogre regardless of who it was. At least, that’s what he thought.

Which all meant that Yun Hyuk-Gyu, an upper level ability user even among the ranks of NDF, should easily cook an Ogre like this....

Kwa-boom!!!

Flames shot out from Yun Hyuk-Gyu exploded right in front of the Ogre, and that giant body was flung away like a piece of paper being blown around in the wind.

Kahaaaaahk!!

A rather bone-chilling scream resounded out in the air.

“H-mm....” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Yun Hyuk-gyu watched the whole thing and simply shrugged his shoulders.

Although they were nominally the same type of fire-type ability users, styles of Yun Hyuk-Gyu and Seo Ah-young were quite different.

Seo Ah-Young was the type to attack her targets with the ultra-high temperature and burning power of her flames, but Yun Hyuk-Gyu relied on the explosive power contained within his flames to blow away his opponents.

Perhaps that was why he was nicknamed the ‘Spitfire’.

“Will it be fine, I wonder?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu approached the Ogre with a slightly concerned expression on his face. Yi Ji-Hyuk ordered him to capture it alive, but well, he got a bit carried away and ended up attacking a little harder than he should have.

That destructive power was enough to render regular monsters into indistinguishable lumps of bloody meat, you see.

Kurureuk....

“Ho-oh?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

But then again, he could hear the familiar growling of an Ogre, causing his head to tilt this way and that. He figured that, even if it didn’t die, the creature should still be covered in wounds from head to toe. Yet, its voice sounded rather healthy from what he could hear.

“Well, is this because it’s an Ogre? Is that it?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Should he chalk this one up to the capability of one of the top ranked monsters? The Ogre’s sturdiness had exceeded Yun Hyuk-Gyu’s expectations.

All thanks to Yi Ji-Hyuk throwing people into a weird world, he got to see plenty of strange, mystifying monsters. And he began thinking that a creature like an Ogre should prove to be an easy enough opponent now, but it proved to be hardier than he had imagined.

“Yup, this is what an Ogre should be all about.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

In the past, Yun Hyuk-Gyu wouldn’t have been able to leave even a scratch on an Ogre’s body no matter what he tried. Only now that his firepower had improved by several folds in the other world could he deal with such a monster.

The fur on its entire body had been scorched jet-black, but the Ogre was still glaring at Yun Hyuk-Gyu with bloodshot eyes. The mere fact that it didn’t lower its tail, even though it must’ve sensed the disparity in power by now, proved how violent in nature this monster was.

‘Looks like I’ll have to get a bit more serious here, doesn’t it?’ (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu stared at the Ogre unsteadily raising itself back up with a slightly hardened face.

His firepower was enough to turn most monsters into bloody meat paste, but his body wasn’t all that much stronger than that of a normal person’s.

Sure, Ether did reinforce it to some degree, but when compared to his enhanced firepower, his defensive capabilities would be laughed out of the room immediately.

If the Ogre decided to attack with everything it got, then without a doubt, his body would end up in two pieces or more even before he had a chance to do anything about it.

Keurururu....

The monster managed to finally stand up somehow, and glared at Yun Hyuk-Gyu with a scarily crumpled face.

“You still have some fight left in you, is that it?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu put on airs for a bit.

Sure, he was trembling inside a little, but showing such a sight in front of a monster was not that different to committing suicide. He knew that oh-so well.

“Well, I shall roast you some more, then.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Reddish spheres suddenly began forming within Yun Hyuk-Gyu’s hands.

Rumble-!!

These spheres were burning so hot that their colours were no longer reddish and began emitting bright white light, instead. And it wasn’t just one or two, either. There were five basketball-sized spheres now spinning around Yun Hyuk-Gyu’s body.

“Hah-aaah!” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

He even spat out a focused yell, too!

“Eat this!!” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

All five spheres flew simultaneously at the Ogre at a frightening speed.

Keuruk?!

The monster immediately sensed the power contained within each of those spheres flying in and tried to retreat in a hurry, but they were too fast.

Kwah-aaaah!!

The spheres of flames, burning brightly now, slammed into the body of the Ogre and began spinning viciously against its flesh. These flames twisted the monster’s body, roasted it, and grounded it to fine meat paste.

Khaaaahack!!

The Ogre spat out a pained scream.

The monster dug deeply into the ground and shivered uncontrollably, but then, the flame spheres collided into each other in a single spot and they all went “KWA-BOOM”.

“Ohhh!”

Yun Hyuk-Gyu watched his creation do its thing and cried out in admiration.

Because there weren’t all that many locations where ability users could test out their powers, it was often the case that many hadn’t been able to experiment with all the skills they had cooked up in their heads.

Yun Hyuk-Gyu had come up with this attack at the tail end of his forced stay in another world – courtesy of Yi Ji-Hyuk – and didn’t find a chance to use it for real, but now that he did use it, the destructive power easily trumped his initial expectation.

“By the way, wasn’t it a bit too strong....?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu scratched his head.

“M-m-mm....”

He cautiously approached the pit where the monster was buried in and peered over the edge. He soon sighed in relief.

What a relief that it’s not dead, but....

But, uh, can I really say that’s it’s not really dead? (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu was in a serious dilemma after taking a look at the Ogre now resembling a scorched charcoal.

Weeell, you could legit say that it’s already half-dead, but it’s not fully dead yet, so won’t I be able to get away with this one? (Yun Hyuk-Gyu’s inner monologue)

“....Is that really an Ogre?” (interpreter)

“Oh. Yeah, well....” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

You could say that’s definitely an Ogre a few seconds ago, but now, I’m not quite sure what to call it now.

Mm.... What should I call it, then?

“Rare Ogre Roast”?

Or, “Medium Rare Ogre barbecue”? (Yun Hyuk-Gyu’s inner monologue)

“H-m-mm....”

This was proving to be rather tough to think up of a name.

“In any case, it’s alive so it should be fine.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Humans would have died by now and then some. But, monsters weren’t monsters for nothing, that’s for sure. They wouldn’t die from something like this.

....No, hang on. Honestly speaking, even monsters would have died by now. I should revise myself and say that Ogres possess strong vitality so that guy managed to not die until now. (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

“This is so troublesome. It must not die, though....” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

The interpreter stared agape at Yun Hyuk-Gyu.

Just what on earth was up with this man?

It was already so shocking that he was toying around with an Ogre all alone, yet he was actually serious about capturing it alive?

‘Are all Korean ability users like him??’ (interpreter)

Even though they were both supposed to be humans, the gap between this man and the Japanese ability users were just too immense. There was no guarantee of defeating an Ogre even if a group of Japanese ability users all attacked at once, yet....

“I am truly surprised.” (interpreter)

“....I’m even more surprised.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

“Excuse me?” (interpreter)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu spat out a sigh and picked his phone up again. He then called someone and quietly waited for the other side to answer.

– “Argh, what do you want now?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“..........”

Yun Hyuk-Gyu forgot what he wanted to say from that voice coming from the phone’s speaker and his head faltered lower to the ground.

It hadn’t even been ten minutes since they discussed the topic over the phone, yet he was asking what now....

You d*mn b*stard, why did you even bother to answer the phone, then?! Why do you answer it like clockwork but get dissatisfied about it, ahhh?? (Yun Hyuk-Gyu’s inner monologue)

“You see, the thing is, I did bring down the Ogre, but...” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

– “Okay, so what?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“It’s about half-cooked, so will it be fine?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

– “Cooked? How?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Well, yes. I failed to hold back my power a bit and it turned into a medium rare steak, so like, can it be revived?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

– “Hah....” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu heard that sigh coming out of the phone’s speaker and also spat out a sigh.

Who should he blame here except himself? It was indeed his fault for making the call when he could’ve just taken care of the matters and go home, and no one would be any wiser.

Everything would’ve been fine if he just pretended to not notice and kill the dang thing. But, he just had to go and call that man....

‘I only started this whole thing after wondering about Oh-Sik liking this fella or not...’ (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Trying to mind Yi Ji-Hyuk’s moods over a matter that Oh-Sik didn’t even have any clues about really ground Yun Hyuk-Gyu’s gears!

– “Why couldn’t you just take care of such a simple thing properly, ah?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He thought as much. Yun Hyuk-Gyu distanced himself from the phone as the angry ranting crackled out from the device’s speaker.

He thought he could hear some sort of blah-blah continuously spitting out from his phone, but he simply stared longingly into the blue sky above and ignored everything.

Seriously now, none of the words spoken would be pleasing in nature anyway, and listening to it wouldn’t improve his life one bit, too. It was, quite literally, just incessant nagging.

“....Still nagging over the spilled milk and all.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

– “What was that??” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“N-no, it was nothing important.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

What scary hearing! How the heck did he hear me?

– “I sure did hear something, though?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I’m telling you, it was nothing!” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

– “How dare you raise your voice at me?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Eiii, seriously man!” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu spat on the floor.

No matter how scary that man’s hearing was, there was no way he’d be able to hear the sound of spit, now would he?

The frowning Yun Hyuk-Gyu could still hear more grumblings and whatnots coming out from the phone, but he kept it firmly away from his ear.

– “Oii.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Yes?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

– “Looks like you’re somewhat lacking in discipline, so we’re going to have a one on one chat after you come back home, okay?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“N-n-no, that’s not true! I’m listening to everything you say!” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

– “But, it doesn’t sound that way to me, though?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I’m being honest.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

A one on one session with Yi Ji-Hyuk?!

He might as well have one of those with the King Yama instead. Why would he willingly put himself through that madness??

He’d rather die than do that insane thing.

– “Okay, so....What’s the problem?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“This monster looks to be in a serious condition, so can you dispatch Miss Jeong Hae-Min over here?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

– “But, why?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I mean, what if this thing wakes up and go berserk while it’s being transported in a plane or on a ship? It’d result in a big chaos, then. If’ I’m taking a dead monster, fine, but since it’s alive, shouldn’t we consider such possibilities?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

– “You’re worried over a strange thing there, buddy. If it wants to act up, just beat it up again.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Hey, you dumb insane as*hole.

You think I don’t know that?

You think a plane will survive when I’m beating it up again? Or for that matter, a ship?! Can’t you think that far ahead? Is your brain dead?? (Yun Hyuk-Gyu’s inner monologue)

“.....Realistically speaking, that’s not feasible.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

– “Argh, you know what, just kill it, then.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Eh?”

– “Seriously, dude. This is getting annoying.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“....I mean, it’s just one teleporter, so how hard can it be?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

– “She’s got no marker over there.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Oh.....”

I forgot.

Then, uh, what should I do with this one? (Yun Hyuk-Gyu’s inner monologue)

– “Hold on. Let me talk to Colonel Jeong and get you a helicopter. Just tie it up nicely and dangle it on the bottom.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Hul........”

Was he being asked to recreate the exact same scene from a certain movie right now??

“What if it wakes up during the transport, then?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

– “Cut the rope and dump it in the middle of the ocean.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“....Sure thing.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Although he felt it clearly, how should he go about describing this bitter aftertaste in his mouth?

– “Well, then. Do your best and bring it home, okay?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Click.

Yun Hyuk-Gyu stared at his phone with a very bitter expression, before finally losing his sh*t and flew off his handle.

“Argh!! Didn’t he say I should just kill it if all else fails?! What is up with this do your best c**p?! Really now?? God d*mn it! This sh*t is really killing me, man!!” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu seriously deliberated on whether to throw his phone in disgust or not, and in the meantime, the interpreter could only shake his head in helplessness.

This Korean man next to him was already a rather strange figure to begin with. But then, just what was up this Yi Ji-Hyuk that he could completely subdue the Spitfire with nothing but a few words?

For some reason, the nation called Korea seemed far, far too distant and unreachable for this interpreter today.

< 194. I don’t need a reason to seek him out -4 > Fin.