Chapter 2

The Swordmaster Wants to Live Peacefully - Chapter 2 (2/390)

The Swordmaster Wants to Live Peacefully Chapter 2

Return (2)

The place where he now stands is Old Sejong.

This city, which had once experienced a complete destruction in the past, was rebuilt as a planned city and is now a strategic location known as "Sehyeon (世玄)."

And what caused the destruction of Sejong in the past was a black hole that appeared worldwide ten years ago.

Black holes, abysses, gates, and so on... countless names were given to these holes, from which numerous monsters emerged.

The armies of various countries fought the monsters that emerged from these holes, and in the process, those who defeated the monsters are said to have awakened strange powers.

Powers that could be called superhuman.

"Awakeners."

These are the people called Awakeners.

Since then, they began to explore the black holes, now named "Abyss," and a new era of change began.

The Abyss contained vegetation different from Earth's. It was both a desolate world and a world rich in resources.

The emergence of new plants and minerals led to a new industrial revolution.

Although the world's population decreased significantly due to the monsters that emerged from the Abyss, the human spirit continued to persevere.

Those who explored the Abyss gained honor and wealth, and companies that quickly adapted to the new era sponsored these explorers.

"And Awakeners are now Abyss Divers, Deep Pioneers..."

What a story.

In summary, it went something like this:

1. The Abyss appeared.

2. Awakeners appeared.

3. The era advanced accordingly.

The so-called Great Abyss Era.

To Yu Seung-woo, these were matters that had nothing to do with him, and the plot seemed like something out of a third-rate fantasy novel, so he slightly frowned and looked for other necessary information.

First, he needed to find a way to locate his younger sister.

Thinking that there might be others like him who fell into another world ten years ago and returned, he searched for information on "Returnees."

"Ah, there it is."

He found information about returnees.

It seemed that returning from another world was a common occurrence, and the city hall even had detailed instructions on how to report as a returnee.

When you report as a returnee, your previously canceled resident registration is revived, and you receive a certain amount of support.

They also help you find your family and provide education to adapt to the changed society.

Democracy is great.

"I have a destination in mind."

First, he would go to the Sehyeon City Hall and report as a returnee.

Since he had no other clothes, he wore the sauna outfit and wrapped a robe around his body, moving quickly.

He left the sauna, leaving the remaining money for the PC room fee and the cost of the clothes on the counter, making sure not to make a sound.

He already knew the location of the city hall. He leaped over buildings and headed for the Sehyeon City Hall.

"The building is huge."

The Sehyeon City Hall was enormous.

It was the largest city hall he had ever seen.

Given that Sehyeon was a planned city and a strategic location in South Korea, it was natural for it to have such a large scale.

As Yu Seung-woo tried to enter the city hall, where many people were coming and going, a security guard at the entrance stopped him and asked,

"How did you get here?"

"I came to report as a returnee."

"Report as a returnee? Seriously, how long have you been back?"

"Um, about two hours."

"I'll personally guide you."

The security guard looked at Yu Seung-woo carefully and led him to the second-floor center for returnee reporting.

There was only one counter at the returnee reporting center.

In the past, there were more, but as the number of returnees decreased, the number of counters also decreased to just one.

The security guard told the woman sitting at the counter,

"This person has come to report as a returnee."

"Oh, welcome! It's been a long time since we've had a returnee. Please take a seat."

Yu Seung-woo sat down in front of the counter.

The woman then handed him a sheet of paper and a pen.

"Please fill in your name, resident registration number, and any other information you can remember."

"Um."

He hadn't held a pen in a long time, as he had been holding a sword every day.

He turned the pen in his hand and slowly wrote down the information he could remember in his somewhat forgotten Korean.

He wrote his name and remembered only the first part of his resident registration number.

He couldn't remember his old address, but he remembered that he had lived in Daejeon.

He finished filling in the information about his family and the high school he graduated from.

Looking at the form, Yu Seung-woo realized how much he had forgotten.

"That's all I can remember."

When he handed over the form, the woman read it and said,

"You spent several decades in another world? According to the records, your death was reported ten years ago..."

"Yeah."

"Did you contract any diseases or illnesses from that world?"

"I had a fever three times. I suffered from high fever due to fatal injuries a few times."

The staff member was quite curious.

"Um, it seems there are no issues. Based on the information you provided, we can connect you with your family. Is that okay?"

"Yeah."

Yu Seung-woo slowly nodded.

Family. A nostalgic word.

His parents had passed away when he was young, so he only had his younger sister as family.

He had lived in that world for his sister.

Even when he wanted to die, the single-minded desire to see his sister again had kept him going through life and death.

'She was seventeen when we separated, so she must be twenty-seven now.'

The ten years he had spent without her.

He couldn't even imagine how much his sister had changed.

She was a very capable child, so if she hadn't gotten involved in anything strange, she must have become a successful person.

After a short wait, the staff member said,

"We've connected you with your family. I'll put you through."

The staff member handed him the phone.

Yu Seung-woo took it with slightly trembling hands, and a voice came from the other end.

- Big brother? Is it really you?

A familiar voice.

A voice that hadn't changed even after ten years, transmitted through electrical signals to his eardrums.

Yu Seung-woo was momentarily speechless. What should he say to his sister, whom he hadn't spoken to in ten years?

For his sister, it had been ten years, but for him, it had been several decades.

The gap in time they had experienced was enormous, making it even harder for him to speak.

- Big brother? Say something.

His sister, Yu Ji-woo, asked again.

Now he had to say something.

Yu Seung-woo forced his mouth to open and said,

"Are you doing well? I'm back."

* * *

After hearing Yu Seung-woo's voice, Yu Ji-woo immediately said she would come and hung up.

Yu Seung-woo continued to wait in front of the counter.

"Your resident registration has been revived. Can you tell me what happened in the other world?"

"Nothing much. I fought every day, fought, and fought..."

"Did you only fight?"

"Yeah. If I didn't like someone, I'd stab them with a sword and smash their head into the ground. It was a world of savagery."

The staff member looked at Yu Seung-woo, who had a scruffy appearance and a muscular build.

His sauna outfit, which was too tight, revealed numerous scars.

It was hard to imagine what he had looked like before living in the comfortable world of Earth.

"Your sister has arrived."

The security guard who had guided him earlier called out to Yu Seung-woo.

As Yu Seung-woo stood up, the staff member followed him, eager to witness the emotional family reunion.

They headed to the parking lot behind the city hall, where a bright red sports car caught their attention.

It looked like a luxury sports car, and they wondered if a wealthy person had come to the city hall for some reason.

A stylish woman wearing sunglasses walked up to Yu Seung-woo from in front of the sports car.

"..."

Yu Seung-woo frowned and looked at the woman, who then lifted her sunglasses and looked up at him.

Then, almost simultaneously, they both said,

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

The woman standing in front of Yu Seung-woo was indeed his sister, Yu Ji-woo, and the man standing in front of Yu Ji-woo was indeed her brother, Yu Seung-woo.

However, they didn't recognize each other.

The security guard and the staff member, who had followed them, had expected an emotional family reunion despite the time that had passed, but they only saw a reaction that contradicted their expectations.

"Are you really our big brother?"

"Then you are my sister, right?"

They were indeed siblings.

However, too much time had passed, and their appearances had changed dramatically.

The Yu Seung-woo that Yu Ji-woo remembered was a slender man with a gentle demeanor, but the man in front of her now had a rugged face and a muscular build, exuding a sharp aura.

The Yu Ji-woo that Yu Seung-woo remembered was a young girl who was mature for her age, with a refined and neat style.

But the woman in front of him now had a strong and assertive appearance, and the red sports car and her clothing suggested that she was not cheap.

"I can't believe this is our big brother."

"I can't believe this is my sister."

"If you're really our big brother, there must be something only you and I know. Tell me."

Yu Seung-woo thought for a moment.

A shared memory. What was it?

"On a school trip, you cried all day because I put cucumber in your rice roll?"

"..."

"Another time, you broke the TV while playing."

"Okay, that's enough. I know you're my big brother, but why do you only remember these things? Can't you remember something good?"

"I only have these memories left in my head."

Although he said this, all these memories were dear to Yu Seung-woo.

They were the memories that had given him the will to live in a world where he knew no one.

Feeling a bit embarrassed by his words, Yu Ji-woo frowned and opened her arms to hug him.

"Welcome back, big brother. You've done well."

"Don't dig up more embarrassing memories."

"I'll really kill you."

"Even this is the same as before..."

Yu Seung-woo said this while hugging his sister.

It was a reunion between a brother who was over seventy and a sister who was now twenty-seven.

* * *

"Shouldn't you have bought a bigger car?"

"You're the one who grew so much."

Yu Ji-woo's sports car, a two-seater with a low body, was too small for Yu Seung-woo to get into comfortably.

However, since they couldn't immediately get a bigger car, Yu Seung-woo squeezed into the passenger seat.

After Yu Seung-woo managed to get in and close the door, Yu Ji-woo started the engine and pressed the accelerator.

The car roared as it left the city hall. Inside the sports car, Yu Seung-woo, who had just managed to fasten his seatbelt, asked,

"What happened? You're driving such a fancy car after ten years."

Yu Seung-woo asked what he had been curious about all along.

There was some inheritance, but the amount he remembered wasn't enough for Yu Ji-woo to drive such a car.

Something must have happened during the ten years that led to Yu Ji-woo's dramatic change in lifestyle.

Yu Ji-woo was silent for a moment before speaking.

"A lot happened after you disappeared."

"What happened?"

"You said you would send me to college, right? And there was the money from our parents' inheritance, right?"

"There was...?"

Don't tell me?