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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Silverriver
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-Goooooooo!
A powerful energy surged like a storm followed by a chilling, murderous intent, sharper than the energy itself.
“Ugh…!”
Trainee Enforcer Lee Ha-yeon retched, dropping to her knees. Only one thought surfaced in her reeling mind.
‘Something’s wrong.’
Ha-yeon forced herself to look up, then down at the scene before her. A narrow alley, haphazardly lined with illegally parked cars. Two men stood facing each other in an uneasy stillness..
One, a newly returned Returnee, proclaimed himself the Heavenly Demon. His sharp, fierce features and palpable energy radiated an aura of self-proclaimed supremacy.
“So, what do you think? Still feel like leisurely chatting about training?”
The Heavenly Demon, the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons himself, spread his arms wide, a confident smirk twisting his lips.
And the man blocking his path?
Disheveled hair, a scraggly beard, a worn coat that looked like it hadn’t seen an iron in years. He was reasonably tall, but his slouching posture minimized even that advantage.
Compared to the Heavenly Demon, his appearance was utterly pathetic. Not just his appearance, but the energy he exuded was faint, almost nonexistent. A mismatch.
Which of these two men was stronger?
Most people wouldn’t even hesitate. Judging by appearances alone, anyone would bet on the Heavenly Demon Returnee with his overwhelming aura.
But Ha-yeon clung to the other option with a sinking feeling in her gut.
After all, the man audaciously standing before the Heavenly Demon was the very person she was supposed to train under:
Enforcer Kwon Tae-ho.
‘Is this really going to be okay…?’
Tears welled in Ha-yeon’s eyes as the oppressive pressure in the air weighed her down. How had things gotten to this point?
To answer that question, she had to rewind a few hours.
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A few hours earlier.
Ui-dong, the northernmost district of Seoul, tucked away in a secluded, almost desolate alley far from the main road.
On the second floor of a decades-old commercial building, a single, incongruously clean sign hung:
What was an Enforcer?
They were the shields protecting the citizens, the guardians of order!
Subduing dangerous criminals, contributing to public safety. The living heroes of this era.
However, contrary to this public image, the local reputation of Kwon Tae-ho’s office was abysmal.
Countless posters and flyers plastered the building’s entrance.
Each one looked freshly printed. Of course they were; residents diligently replaced them every day, no matter how often they were torn down.
The sorry state of the entrance alone spoke volumes about Enforcer Kwon Tae-ho’s local reputation.
She could guarantee that among all the Enforcer offices in Seoul, his had to be one of the worst.
“Hmm.”
That’s why Tae-ho couldn’t understand.
“So, you want to train as an Enforcer at my office?”
Why, out of all the Enforcer offices in the city, had this woman chosen his?
“Yes, sir! That’s correct, sir!”
At her loud and energetic reply, Tae-ho glanced up from the paperwork. Standing before him, in perfect posture, was the woman from the photo on the resume.
She was petite, barely reaching five feet tall. Her youthful face suggested she was in her early twenties. Sharp, light brown bob, bright, inquisitive green eyes.
Green eyes were unusual in Korea, but not unheard of these days. Changes in hair and eye color were common side effects of dimensional transfer among Returnees.
‘She looks more like she should be back in high school than an Enforcer.’
Tae-ho returned to her resume.
“Name: Lee Ha-yeon. Age: Twenty-six. Education: High school equivalency. Returnee. Transferred to another world at age thirteen, thirteen years ago. Returned five years ago, at twenty-one.”
He found her history rather peculiar.
Surviving a dimensional rift at thirteen and making it back was impressive in itself. The return rate for transferees of that age group was barely 10%, and most of those were lucky enough to have landed in peaceful worlds.
“Transferred to dimension S-007, Laphen…. What kind of place is that?”
“Yes, sir! It’s similar to modern Earth, but with superpowers…!”
“And your history there?”
“I was fortunate enough to be taken in by an orphanage soon after I arrived. I finished high school there! After that, I worked as an office intern until I returned here…”
“A remarkably peaceful life. You were lucky.”
Which made him even more perplexed.
“If you were working a normal office job there, why not do the same here? Why become an Enforcer?”
Enforcers were the guardians of order in these chaotic times, heroes admired by the public.
That was the public perception, but objectively, being an Enforcer wasn’t a desirable career path.
High workload, inherent risks, and comparatively low pay.
Some Enforcers leveraged their celebrity status for endorsements and lucrative opportunities, but they were the exception. Tae-ho himself barely made enough to cover the rent for this rundown office in the outskirts of Seoul.
“That’s…”
Ha-yeon hesitated, averting her gaze.
It wasn’t just nerves. The slight furrow in her brow and the way she avoided his eyes suggested something more complicated.
“…Never mind, I’ll ask again later.”
Tae-ho revised his initial assessment. Returnees generally sought comfortable lives after returning. It was understandable, considering they’d been abruptly snatched away to another world and forced to endure all sorts of hardships before finally making it back.
Despite that, those who chose a dangerous path like becoming an Enforcer, a path a million miles away from a comfortable life, usually fell into two categories:
Those addicted to the power they wielded in the other world, seeking to continue wielding that power as an Enforcer.
Or those with complicated circumstances preventing them from choosing a comfortable life, even if they desired it.
Perhaps a family member murdered by a Returnee criminal, fueling a desire for revenge.
“Anyway, you want to train at my office, is that it?”
“Yes, sir! E-Enforcer Kwon Tae-ho, you have a reputation for subduing any criminal with overwhelming force and charisma! I aspire to become a great Enforcer like you-”
Her rehearsed answer made Tae-ho chuckle.
“Well, you’re more likely to hear negative stories about me than positive ones.”
“No, that’s! Th-that’s not true! Absolutely not-”
“No need to deny it. It’s the truth. You must have seen the posters at the entrance. I’ve been in the news a few times, mostly for excessive force and… personality issues.”
Ha-yeon sweated nervously at his self-deprecating remark. She fidgeted like a nervous puppy, and Tae-ho couldn’t help but smile.
“Well, I appreciate you choosing my office. The government provides generous subsidies for trainees. Plenty left over after your salary. So, I won’t bother asking why you chose this place. I’d accept your application regardless of your answer.”
“Th-thank you-”
“But there’s one thing. As a current Enforcer, I want to ask you something.”
Gulp.
The sound of Ha-yeon swallowing echoed in the quiet room.
‘The atmosphere suddenly changed…’
Despite his attempts to be agreeable, Ha-yeon had seen Tae-ho exactly as he was rumored to be.
Disheveled hair, untamed beard, a wrinkled shirt, and a lazy demeanor.
But now, his sudden shift to seriousness changed the entire atmosphere. A palpable aura of power and authority emanated from him, even as he sat. That, too, was ‘as rumored.’
Enforcer Kwon Tae-ho.
Despite his controversial methods and personality, he was undeniably one of the strongest Enforcers in South Korea.
And this powerful Enforcer was now quietly questioning the trainee just beginning her journey.
“What do you think Returnees are? As an Enforcer. Give me a short answer.”
“Sir? That’s…”
Despite the serious build-up, it was a fundamental question.
Easy to answer. She’d answered it during her Enforcer interview.
“People we need to help reintegrate into society… sir.”
“Zero points.”
“Huh?”
Tae-ho’s evaluation was harsh. He wore an ‘I knew it’ expression.
“That answer gets zero points from an Enforcer. Returnees need help? That’s the mindset of a Returnee Management Bureau official or a social worker, not an Enforcer.”
“B-but… is that so?”
It couldn’t be. She’d answered similarly during her interview, just with more elaboration. And she’d passed with flying colors, earning her trainee status.
“Returnees do need help. But as I said, that’s the job of management officials and social workers. Our job is different. We subdue and arrest the small fraction of Returnees who can’t adapt and resort to crime. Any objections?”
“No, uh, none, sir…”
“Then let me ask again, from that perspective. What are Returnees? Give me a one-word answer, as an Enforcer.”
Ha-yeon couldn’t answer. Thoughts raced through her mind, but she couldn’t pick a suitable response.
She’d met quite a few Enforcers during her training, but none as blunt and straightforward as Kwon Tae-ho.
“C-could you tell me the answer…?”
“There’s no right answer, only wrong ones. Every Enforcer needs to find their own answer. But if I had to give you mine…”
“…”
“Returnees are, simply put, bombs.”
“…What?”
“…they’re like those teenagers who think they have superpowers and secret destinies, the ‘eighth-grade syndrome’ type, just waiting for a reason to explode”
Ha-yeon froze at his scathing assessment.
Even if an Enforcer’s primary duty was subduing criminals, wasn’t his choice of words too aggressive?
But Tae-ho showed no sign of remorse.
“Think about it. An ordinary citizen is suddenly transferred to another world. A world of fantasy, martial arts, sci-fi… a world more ‘special’ than their own. Do you know what delusion people tend to develop after such an experience?”
“…”
“The delusion that they are special.”
‘I experienced this because I’m special. I’m chosen because I went through this special experience.’
Over 100 million people had been swept into other dimensions, but the victims were unaware of those numbers.
So they believed they were special.
They believed they’d been given a special opportunity.
Not all Returnees viewed the transfer as an opportunity.
Those who lived fulfilling lives, those who left loved ones behind…
For them, the dimensional rift was a tragedy, not a special opportunity.
However.
Not everyone saw it as a tragedy.
Plenty of people were dissatisfied with their lives.
And for them, being transported to another, more extraordinary world was a literal opportunity for a new beginning.
“Anyway, those caught in the Great Transfer struggle to adapt and survive in the other world. They have no way back, after all. It’s unavoidable. But in that struggle to adapt and survive, they inevitably build something, achieve something, no matter how small.”
“Build and achieve…”
“It could be anything. Raw power, intangible wealth or influence, prestigious achievements. It could even be relationships. New friends, lovers, a new family…”
Returning meant surviving in the other world.
And surviving meant building and accumulating something there.
Therefore, from a different perspective, Returnees were those who had lost everything they’d built in an instant, forced to ‘return’ to their original world.
“Home is where you make it. For someone like you, who spent over ten years in another world, it becomes a second home. Some, and there are quite a few, find more fulfillment there than in their original lives. And those are usually the ones who cause trouble.”
Tae-ho shook his head in exasperation.
“As you know, the return is completely unpredictable. Someone thriving in the other world, achieving great things, can suddenly be yanked back to reality. Losing everything they built in a single moment. They wake up, and the reality they’d left behind comes crashing down on them. Most can’t handle that sudden change.”
‘I was doing so well.’
‘I accomplished so much there.’
‘I have people I care about there.’
“To abandon all that and suddenly return to their old life… it breeds resentment and frustration. Do you understand?”
Ha-yeon honestly couldn’t understand. She’d longed to return, constantly thinking of her family and friends.
But she knew not everyone was like her.
“And unfortunately, most Returnees possess the power, the abilities, to easily vent that frustration and resentment. They retain the abilities they gained in the other world. That’s why the crime rate among Returnees is so much higher than average.”
A sudden life change.
Severed connections.
The resulting isolation.
Alienation from a society that moved on without them.
These were the factors that pushed Returnees over the edge, Tae-ho explained calmly.
“That’s why I call them bombs. They’re ticking time bombs. They could go off immediately after returning, or much later. A dud could suddenly detonate, or a bomb that already went off could explode again.”
There was one crucial difference, however.
Regular bombs detonate upon impact, but Returnees could be subdued with force.
“Force? Sir, even so, isn’t that a bit too…”
Ha-yeon trailed off, taken aback by his extreme view. Tae-ho chuckled, as if anticipating her reaction.
“What? Too extreme?”
“Well…”
“Be honest. I won’t penalize you for disagreeing with me.”
Hesitantly, Ha-yeon spoke.
“I understand what you’re saying, sir. But isn’t that… a bit of a generalization? Not all Returnees become criminals, right?”
“True. That’s the textbook answer.”
Tae-ho nodded readily, a strange smile playing on his lips.
A trainee challenging a senior Enforcer’s views… he admired her spirit.
But at the same time, her naivete, her lack of field experience, was almost endearing.
“You’re right. Not all Returnees become criminals. Not all of them abuse their powers irresponsibly.”
However.
“But the Returnees you’ll encounter will be exactly that kind. You’ll come to see things my way eventually. You can’t tell a bomb from a regular person just by looking, so it’s easier to treat them all as bombs.”
“…So, you see me as a bomb too, sir? Since I’m a Returnee?”
A pointed, personal question. But Tae-ho didn’t hesitate.
“Of course. You, and myself included. I live every day mindful that I, too, am a ticking time bomb.”
His words were harsh for a trainee, but he believed understanding this reality early on would benefit her.
“The good news is, as I said, these bombs can be contained with sufficient force. That’s why I always say: Returnees respond only to force.”
Returnees respond only to force.
That was the motto of Kwon Tae-ho’s office, the truth he’d gleaned from years of experience as an Enforcer. At least, that’s what he believed.
“…”
Of course, to Ha-yeon, who had just arrived, it sounded extreme.
Had she made a mistake choosing this office for her training?
-Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!!
Just then, the office phone started ringing insistently.
“Kwon Tae-ho.”
Tae-ho picked up the phone, glancing at Ha-yeon. A smile spread across his face.
“I see. Understood. I’ll be right there.”
-Click.
“Um, sir? What happened…?”
“Congratulations, rookie. A valuable opportunity to witness the reality of fieldwork has just presented itself.”
“Huh?”
“A Returnee who just returned to our jurisdiction is causing a ruckus. Calling himself the ‘Heavenly Demon,’ no less.”
“Heavenly Demon…?”
Ordinarily, it would be a puzzling term, familiar only to those who read martial arts novels. But in a world awash with Returnees, it was common knowledge.
Heavenly Demon.
Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Supreme ruler of the martial arts world. Lord of Ten Thousand Demons. Absolute ruler. Unmatched under heaven.
These terms swirled chaotically in Ha-yeon’s mind. Unconscious fear flickered across her face.
“Let’s go.”
In contrast, Tae-ho’s face held not fear, but a wide, almost predatory grin.
“Time to hunt a Heavenly Demon.”
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everyone greet our Trainee Enforcer Lee Ha-yeon
this is unironically a super cool concept