Chapter 125 – Hometown Living (1)

The moderates among the immigrants held an emergency meeting due to some startling news.

“What, really? He defeated the Demon King?”

Usually, their meetings were just for catching up on personal matters, but today was different.

“No way. Elder, is that lie actually true?”

The Elder, who had been frantically devouring a chocolate parfait, wiped his mouth and spoke.

“It is the undeniable truth.”

“N-No way.”

“He went alone and defeated the Demon King? Does that even make sense?”

“That’s because you don’t know the Hero. It’s entirely possible. He’s the one who defeated the Demon King of the Other Side, after all.”

“But he wasn’t alone that time! Besides, all the other Hero failed, and some even became the Demon King’s subordinates, enemies of humanity…!”

The moderates reacted with utter disbelief.

And for good reason; countless people had died.

The Seven Kingdoms had failed to unite.

The only reason they could have ever come together was under the name of the Hero.

Amidst the crumbling Seven Kingdoms, the moderates chose to immigrate to another dimension for the safety of their clan.

“That is not what’s important.”

The Elder said to his bewildered clan members.

“We can return to our homeland.”

“…!”

“!”

The Elder would never joke in a situation like this.

At the words that they could return home, a few people shed tears like pearls.

This place wasn’t bad to live in. But in the end, they were merely refugees.

“The Hero spoke of this today. He said he would help those who wish to remain here live like normal people, and if they want to become Hunters, he would accept them into the guild. He also said that those who return to our homeland will be allowed to participate in the restoration efforts.”

“The Sir Hero…”

“We’ve done nothing for him…”

The Hero couldn’t possibly be a saint, yet he was so benevolent.

The clan members were overwhelmed by the Hero’s grace.

The Hero had taken them in when they fled and had even saved them.

He had asked for nothing in return.

Considering how terrible the Hero summoned after the first one had been, even comparing them felt disrespectful.

People began to praise the Hero, shedding tears of joy.

Watching them, Seo Hyun-ji mumbled around a mouthful of snacks.

‘This feels strange.’

Having crossed dimensions as a child, her nostalgia for her homeland was faint.

Of course, it wasn’t that she didn’t understand why her clan members were happy.

But the reason she felt strange was because of the being known as the Hero.

The Lee Hyunbin she knew was an eccentric man with sadistic tendencies.

Sure, he showed his good side occasionally, but it was hard to picture a savior behind his playful demeanor.

The Lee Hyunbin she saw up close and the Lee Hyunbin she heard about from others felt like two different people.

Of course, she admitted he was incredible.

When everyone else was hesitating and despairing in the face of an overwhelming foe.

When Seo Hyun-ji was feeling the pressure just for being an S-Rank.

Lee Hyunbin had fought the dragon alone and defeated it.

Overwhelming strength. He possessed it.

“Hyun-ji, you should also do as you wish.”

Seo Hyun-ji choked on some cookie crumbs and coughed.

Seeing this, the Elder smiled benevolently with a face that didn’t seem to fit a child.

“Pardon?”

“I’m saying you don’t need to go to the other world just because of the rest of the clan.”

Seo Hyun-ji couldn’t answer for a moment.

The other clan members chimed in with smiles.

“That’s right, Hyun-ji. You’re super popular with people here.”

“Yeah, and it’s such a great honor to be able to serve by the Sir Hero’s side.”

“I-I’m going with you, you know?”

“Huh? You’re going?”

The other clan members asked back, puzzled by Seo Hyun-ji’s words.

Seo Hyun-ji repeated firmly.

“Of course, I have to go. We’re the same clan.”

“Don’t push yourself. You, uh, what was it? You wanted to be a songstress like your mom, didn’t you? You looked good on TV.”

“But the song wasn’t very good.”

“That’s true. I couldn’t understand it.”

Seo Hyun-ji pouted at the adults’ comments.

“The song was good…”

It was the clan members’ fault for not understanding the soul in the rap.

***

In truth, Seo Hyun-ji wanted to stay here too.

It wasn’t that she would miss the recognition she had built.

If she went to the other world, she wouldn’t be able to use modern technology, nor would she ever see the people she’d connected with here again.

The other world was safe now. Because the Demon King was dead.

But that only meant the threat of the Demon King’s army was gone.

Because humanity had been driven to the brink of extinction, the continent no longer belonged to humans.

The number of monsters had rapidly increased, starting in places where human presence had vanished.

Normally, the kingdoms would cull the monster population by subjugating them or offering bounties to monster hunters. But now, after more than ten years without any subjugation, all sorts of monsters were rampant.

In other words, the danger wasn’t over yet. She couldn’t feel at ease sending her clan members to such a place alone.

She couldn’t be sure, but she was probably the strongest among her clan right now.

She hadn’t been able to use her powers properly before, but thanks to Lee Hyunbin’s training, she could now use her summoning and magic smoothly.

-Ah, a mage. Just standing far away waving a staff is a great way to die. Why? C’mon. You have to ask? If it were me, I’d target the mage first. Just throw one dagger—swoosh, thud. It’s over.

-Alright, from now on, you’re going to dodge this ball. Think of it as a throwing weapon and dodge.

-It hurts? Ah, of course it hurts, even if it’s just a ball, if I’m the one throwing it. I shouldn’t leave bruises on an actress’s body? Ms. Seo Hyun-ji. Do you want bruises on your body now, or do you want to not have a body left to bruise later? See? Got it? Okay, here it comes. Dodge. That’s it, you’re doing great.

Suddenly recalling Lee Hyunbin’s training, Seo Hyun-ji let out a wry laugh.

Even though she’d told herself she absolutely wouldn’t get involved today when she came to work in the morning, she somehow always got swept up in things once he started talking.

Still, thanks to him, she had learned basic martial arts and evasion techniques.

She had gained enough confidence to believe she could even fight one-on-one against Kim Yeo-jin, the Villain from the hardliners, if she had to.

After the meeting, Seo Hyun-ji went to work and looked for Hyunbin.

Hyunbin wasn’t at the team training facility.

He had been strangely hard to find lately.

“The Team Leader? I haven’t seen him around lately.”

“He seems to have gotten a lot busier since he came back from vacation.”

Kim Tae-yang and Kim In-ho hadn’t seen Team Leader Lee Hyunbin lately either.

Neither had Seo Hyun-ji.

The two Kims were diligently following their training regimen even without Lee Hyunbin.

Their bodies had reached a point where they couldn’t stand it if they didn’t get their daily gains.

‘What on earth has he been up to?’

The Elder had also only been notified by phone.

Seo Hyun-ji called Lee Hyunbin.

The phone rang a few times, but he didn’t pick up.

‘Should I ask Seo-yeon?’

If she asked his housemate, Lee Seo-yeon, she might know what was going on.

‘No, there’s no need to go that far to find him.’

Feeling as if she were desperately searching for him, Seo Hyun-ji put the phone down.

Even if she went back to the other world, it wasn’t as if she could never return.

Of course, it wasn’t as easy as traveling to the countryside.

The day came for the moderate immigrants to cross the dimension again.

As if he had known this day would come, the Elder had prepared a portal large enough for a massive group to pass through.

“What a shame. I thought we’d get to see the Sir Hero one last time.”

“I heard he’s very busy.”

“…”

Seo Hyun-ji felt a little disappointed.

She, his team member of all people, was going to the other side and might not even come back.

And her team leader hadn’t shown his face even once.

It had become strangely difficult to see Team Leader Lee Hyunbin since he returned from his vacation.

She wanted to ask what he was doing that made him so hard to find, but she held back, afraid it would be misunderstood.

Everyone started to cross over to their original world with their packed belongings.

Her first experience with the portal felt similar to entering a dungeon or a gate—like stepping into water.

She closed her eyes, and as she stepped inside, she could feel the air change.

Clean air that felt refreshing with a single breath.

It was a moment when she truly felt the polluted air of the city she had never noticed before.

“Hoo, now this is what air should feel like.”

“How long has it been? I thought I’d never come back.”

The clan members could be seen rejoicing, savoring the feeling of returning home.

Seo Hyun-ji looked around at the unfamiliar scenery.

Outside the window, she could see people dressed in attire straight out of a medieval fantasy movie.

The city’s atmosphere seemed incredibly cheerful. A marketplace had formed, and a column of soldiers could be seen marching outside the open castle gates.

“Welcome, everyone. We have been waiting for you under the Sir Hero’s guidance.”

As they stepped through the portal, people inside the castle welcomed them.

“Thank you for your hospitality. We will devote ourselves to the kingdom from now on.”

“No, not to the kingdom, but to repay the Sir Hero’s grace.”

The priest who said this with a smile looked gentle.

But something about the design of his priestly robes was a bit strange.

“Is that mark on his robes… a bicep?”

“Nah, no way.”

Usually, priests who followed a doctrine would wear a symbol representing the god they believed in.

But the robes of the priests and nuns were emblazoned with a clear mark of a bicep.

“Now, please come this way.”

The priests guided them through the castle and out into a plaza.

Seeing the giant statue standing in the plaza, Seo Hyun-ji’s pupils began to tremble faintly.

“Team Leader?”

It was incredibly beautified, like the statue of David, but a giant sculpture presumed to be of Lee Hyunbin stood in the grand plaza.

Watching the people praying to it, Seo Hyun-ji felt her values thrown into chaos.

“This is the statue of the Sir Hero, made recently. We erected it so that we would never forget our Sir Hero, who has saved this world twice.”

“……”

The intention wasn’t bad, so this was still acceptable.

“All the citizens of our kingdom believe in Hero-ism. It’s not mandatory, of course, but the power of faith will make this arduous and difficult journey easier.”

“…But what is this place…?”

“This is the chapel. Before we guide you to your new homes, we wanted to show you this wonderful place first.”

If Seo Hyun-ji’s common sense was intact, this was no chapel.

“Now, to confirm your faith in the Sir Hero, shall we start with the bench press?”

It was a gym.

***

“Believer. Your faith is far too irreverent!”

“Aaaah, a heretic! Look at this scrawny body. It lacks prayers of gratitude to the Sir Hero! Three sets of repentance squats, now!”

She had no idea why there was modern gym equipment here.

The Elder also seemed to have no clue.

In the past, the Goddess religion had been popular, but now, Hero-ism was all the rage.

And the prayers of Hero-ism began by lifting dumbbells.

“What is this…”

Seo Hyun-ji muttered to herself.

The residents’ healthy teeth gleamed.

Everyone looked excessively healthy.