The Hero Returns by B Ain

FULL INDEX - COMPLETE LIST OF CHAPTERS:
Synopsis and Starting Chapter
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105 - Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Chapter 134
Chapter 135
Chapter 136
Chapter 137
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140 - Chapter 140
Chapter 141
Chapter 142 - Chapter 142
Chapter 143
Chapter 144
Chapter 145
Chapter 146
Chapter 147
Chapter 148
Chapter 149
Chapter 150
Chapter 151
Chapter 152
Chapter 153
Chapter 154
Chapter 155
Chapter 156
Chapter 157
Chapter 158
Chapter 159
Chapter 160
Chapter 161
Chapter 162
Chapter 163
Chapter 164
Chapter 165
Chapter 166
Chapter 167
Chapter 168
Chapter 169
Chapter 170 - Chapter 170
Chapter 171
Chapter 172
Chapter 173
Chapter 174
Chapter 175
Chapter 176
Chapter 177
Chapter 178
Chapter 179
Chapter 180
Chapter 181
Chapter 182
Chapter 183
Chapter 184
Chapter 185
Chapter 186
Chapter 187
Chapter 188
Chapter 189
Chapter 190
Chapter 191
Chapter 192
Chapter 193
Chapter 194
Chapter 195
Chapter 196
Chapter 197
Chapter 198
Chapter 199
Chapter 200
Chapter 201
Chapter 202
Chapter 203 - Chapter 203
Chapter 204
Chapter 205
Chapter 206
Chapter 207
Chapter 208 - Chapter 208
Chapter 209
Chapter 210
Chapter 211
Chapter 212
Chapter 213
Chapter 214
Chapter 215
Chapter 216
Chapter 217
Chapter 218
Chapter 219
Chapter 220
Chapter 221
Chapter 222
Chapter 223
Chapter 224
Chapter 225
Chapter 226
Chapter 227
Chapter 228
Chapter 229
Chapter 230
Chapter 231
Chapter 232
Chapter 233
Chapter 234
Chapter 235
Chapter 236
Chapter 237
Chapter 238
Chapter 239 - Chapter 239
Chapter 240
Chapter 241
Chapter 242
Chapter 243
Chapter 244
Chapter 245
Chapter 246
Chapter 247
Chapter 248
Chapter 249
Chapter 250
Chapter 251
Chapter 252
Chapter 253
Chapter 254
Chapter 255
Chapter 256
Chapter 257
Chapter 258
Chapter 259
Chapter 260
Chapter 261
Chapter 262
Chapter 263 - Chapter 263
Chapter 264
Chapter 265
Chapter 266
Chapter 267
Chapter 268
Chapter 269
Chapter 270
Chapter 271
Chapter 272
Chapter 273
Chapter 274
Chapter 275
Chapter 276
Chapter 277
Chapter 278
Chapter 279
Chapter 280
Chapter 281
Chapter 282
Chapter 283
Chapter 284
Chapter 285
Chapter 286
Chapter 287
Chapter 288
Chapter 289
Chapter 290
Chapter 291
Chapter 292
Chapter 293
Chapter 294
Chapter 295
Chapter 296
Chapter 297 - Chapter 297
Chapter 298
Chapter 299
Chapter 300
Chapter 301
Chapter 302
Chapter 303
Chapter 304
Chapter 305
Chapter 306
Chapter 307
Chapter 308
Chapter 309
Chapter 310
Chapter 311
Chapter 312
Chapter 313
Chapter 314
Chapter 315
Chapter 316
Chapter 317
Chapter 318
Chapter 319
Chapter 320
Chapter 321
Chapter 322
Chapter 323
Chapter 324
Chapter 325
Chapter 326
Chapter 327
Chapter 328
Chapter 329
Chapter 330
Chapter 331
Chapter 332
Chapter 333
Chapter 334
Chapter 335
Chapter 336
Chapter 337
Chapter 338
Chapter 339
Chapter 340
Chapter 341
Chapter 342
Chapter 343
Chapter 344
Chapter 345
Chapter 346
Chapter 347
Chapter 348
Chapter 349
Chapter 350
Chapter 351
Chapter 352
Chapter 353
Chapter 354
Chapter 355
Chapter 356
Chapter 357
Chapter 358
Chapter 359
Chapter 360
Chapter 361
Chapter 362
Chapter 363
Chapter 364
Chapter 365
Chapter 366
Chapter 367
Chapter 368
Chapter 369
Chapter 370
Chapter 371
Chapter 372
Chapter 373
Chapter 374
Chapter 375
Chapter 376
Chapter 377
Chapter 378
Chapter 379
Chapter 380
Chapter 381
Chapter 382
Chapter 383
Chapter 384 - Chapter 384
Chapter 385
Chapter 386
Chapter 387
Chapter 388
Chapter 389
Chapter 390
Chapter 391
Chapter 392
Chapter 393
Chapter 394
Chapter 395
Chapter 396
Chapter 397
Chapter 398
Chapter 399
Chapter 400
Chapter 401
Chapter 402
Chapter 403
Chapter 404
Chapter 405
Chapter 406
Chapter 407
Chapter 408
Chapter 409
Chapter 410
Chapter 411
Chapter 412
Chapter 413
Chapter 414
Chapter 415
Chapter 416
Chapter 417
Chapter 418
Chapter 419
Chapter 420
Chapter 421
Chapter 422
Chapter 423
Chapter 424
Chapter 425
Chapter 426 - Chapter 426
Chapter 427
Chapter 428
Chapter 429
Chapter 430
Chapter 431
Chapter 432
Chapter 433
Chapter 434
Chapter 435
Chapter 436
Chapter 437
Chapter 438
Chapter 439
Chapter 440
Chapter 441
Chapter 442
Chapter 443
Chapter 444
Chapter 445
Chapter 446 - Chapter 446
Chapter 447
Chapter 448
Chapter 449
Chapter 450
Chapter 451 - Chapter 451
Chapter 452
Chapter 453
Chapter 454
Chapter 455
Chapter 456
Chapter 457
Chapter 458
Chapter 459
Chapter 460
Chapter 461
Chapter 462
Chapter 463
Chapter 464
Chapter 465
Chapter 466
Chapter 467
Chapter 468
Chapter 469
Chapter 470
Chapter 471
Chapter 472
Chapter 473
Chapter 474
Chapter 475
Chapter 476
Chapter 477
Chapter 478
Chapter 479
Chapter 480
Chapter 481
Chapter 482
Chapter 483 - Chapter 483
Chapter 484
Chapter 485
Chapter 486
Chapter 487
Chapter 488
Chapter 489
Chapter 490
Chapter 491
Chapter 492
Chapter 493
Chapter 494
Chapter 495
Chapter 496
Chapter 497
Chapter 498
Chapter 499
Chapter 500
Chapter 501
Chapter 502
Chapter 503
Chapter 504
Chapter 505
Chapter 506
Chapter 507
Chapter 508
Chapter 509
Chapter 510
Chapter 511
Chapter 512
Chapter 513
Chapter 514
Chapter 515
Chapter 516 - Chapter 516
Chapter 517
Chapter 518
Chapter 519
Chapter 520
Chapter 521
Chapter 522
Chapter 523
Chapter 524
Chapter 525
Chapter 526
Chapter 527
Chapter 528
Chapter 529
Chapter 530
Chapter 531
Chapter 532
Chapter 533
Chapter 534 - Chapter 534
Chapter 535
Chapter 536
Chapter 537
Chapter 538 - Chapter 538
Chapter 539
Chapter 540
Chapter 541
Chapter 542
Chapter 543
Chapter 544
Chapter 545
Chapter 546
Chapter 547
Chapter 548
Chapter 549
Chapter 550
Chapter 551
Chapter 552
Chapter 553
Chapter 554
Chapter 555
Categories Genre: Action, Adventure, All, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Ongoing, Supernatural Status: Ongoing Tags Authors: , , Alternative names: HR, 영웅; 회귀하다,

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Total Chapters in book: 555
Estimated words: 1462055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 7310(@200wpm)___ 5848(@250wpm)___ 4874(@300wpm)
<<<<515525533534535536537545555>555
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LIST OF LAST 10 CHAPTERS:
Page No. 555
Page No. 554
Page No. 553
Page No. 552
Page No. 551
Page No. 550
Page No. 549
Page No. 548
Page No. 547
Page No. 546
Page No. 545
Chapter 535

Chapter 535: Chapter 535

“Where did you say this was?”

“Earth. And inside the city called Seoul, located in South Korea of that planet.”

“There are so many people here. I reckon there must be at least one thousand people in this place.”

Currently, in the middle of Seoul’s busy Myeong-dong district, Su-hyeun, wearing a surgical mask and a beanie, was quietly walking within the gaggle of a bustling crowd.

A bright ball of light was floating next to him. Although no one else could see it, this ball was Brahma.

“It kind of feels like I’ve become a criminal somehow,” Su-hyeun thought.

Su-hyeun never had to walk around while covering his face to this extent.

Not only did he not have much free time to roam around busy streets like this, but he was never a big fan of bustling areas to begin with.

Besides, he could directly travel to his destinations whenever needed, making it almost impossible for the others to track him down.

“To think that I now have to work as a guide, even though I’ve never done it before…”

Since he had lived countless many lives, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that he worked as a guide in one of them.

But he never expected to act as one during this lifetime. If a guide were needed, it would be him needing one instead.

However, he needed to show Brahma the sights of this world, leaving him with no choice but to leisurely walk around the city.

“It’s so crowded and noisy—bustling, too.”

“It sure is.”

“Are other places like this?”

“No, not all of them. Some are a complete opposite, as in quiet and secluded. I prefer those types of places. Even so, this is where you’ll find lots of people.”

What Su-hyeun needed to show Brahma was “people.”

The first and the most important pretext that determined whether this universe should be destroyed or spared was the creatures inhabiting the said universe.

“No, not these people.”

“Mm?”

“I can see things like this whenever I want, you know? Instead of this sight, I was hoping you could show me the world you saw and lived through. Show me the people you’ve experienced life with so far.”

Brahma spoke with such curiosity.

That made sense, though.

From the get-go, Brahma should’ve had the ability to check out the world he had created. Su-hyeun could check out the status of his homeworld, after all.

Yet, Brahma insisted on seeing the world through Su-hyeun’s eyes. There could be only one reason for that.

It was to see and judge the world not through an omnipotent point of view but as just another person among many.

“Well, that’s not a difficult request, but…”

Su-hyeun began scratching his head.

When he heard that demand, a thought suddenly popped up into his mind, “Wow, my circle of acquaintances is quite small.”

Su-hyeun had lived a hectic life. Needless to say, even back then, as Kim Sung-in, he didn’t know that many people personally. He began counting them in his head one by one.

Lee Ju-ho, Choi Hak-joon, Thomas, the other members of the Paragon Guild…

His mother, Shin Su-yeong…

Also…

“I guess the owner of the cafe that I frequent?”

He began wondering whether or not he should include people like that as his group of acquaintances.

Who else did he know?

While Su-hyeun continued to dig through his memories, Brahma suddenly addressed him, “No need to think too deeply about it. Just think about the people who influenced you the most. It doesn’t matter whether in a good or bad way.”

“Someone who influenced me, hmm?”

“Yeah. Just those people who had made an impact in your life so far.”

That sounded pretty reasonable. Instead of the people he thought until now, Su-hyeun began recalling everyone who had influenced him one way or the other.

The Bull Demon King, Sun Wukong, Lee Ju-ho…

And then there was…

“Mother,” Su-hyeun thought.

Not Shin Su-yeong but Kim Sung-in’s mother…

He recalled Yun Hui-yeon.




Su-hyeun met various people afterward—first, Lee Ju-ho, then Thomas, and even Gordon Rohan.

Hak-joon was still stuck in the Tower, so it was impossible to meet up with him and say hello. He was currently second only to Su-hyeun in terms of floor count.

“As for my brothers…”

The Bull Demon King and Sun Wukong should still be back in the Path to Reincarnation. Then, he remembered that the Roc Demon King must be in the middle of the rice-planting season right about now.

“It should be fine to talk to them later.”

With this, he was done with meeting his acquaintances. Since he didn’t have many people to meet, it didn’t take him long to go through the list.

And so, only one person remained.

“Mother.”

When he recalled his mother, he did not think about Shin Su-yeong but another woman who gave birth to him. That was the thought that abruptly popped up in his head.

“Now that I think about it, I didn’t have a father during this life, too.”

During his life as Kim Sung-in, he couldn’t even remember his father’s face. He passed on just as Kim Sung-in was old enough to remember things.

That was why he couldn’t recall a face or any recollection of their shared past. The same thing applied to this life.

“He passed on when I reached 18, right?”

He learned about that fact during his frequent chat with Shin Su-yeong. She used to talk about her husband reasonably often.

Being 18 years old meant that he was not too young to remember. Never mind just their fathers’ faces, but ordinary people around that age should have quite a lot of shared memories to recall.

But such a thing didn’t apply to Su-hyeun.

“It would’ve been nice if I got to meet him…”

That thought abruptly popped up in his mind, and he had to shake his head to get rid of it.

It was a useless thought, anyway.

Su-hyeun climbed into a bus. Hoofing it would’ve been so much faster. Still, he decided to use public transportation after thinking about doing things like how he used to in the past.

His destination was Dong-ha University. He used to attend this place back when he was still Kim Sung-in.

He hadn’t been here in such a long time, but the place seemed like it used to be in the past. The campus remained quite crowded even now. Su-hyeun checked the time and realized that classes must have been over for the lunch break.

He suddenly remembered that he hadn’t had lunch, either. Although he wasn’t hungry, Dong-ha University’s cafeteria food was quite tasty if he remembered correctly.

“Should I eat something first before leaving?”

“Not sure what food you’re thinking of, but you should eat here if that’s what you did in the past,” Brahma urged him.

Su-hyeun wasn’t a stranger to the idea of eating alone, but to do that in a crowded university?

He hesitated slightly but chose to head to the university’s cafeteria in the end. Since it wasn’t possible to eat with a mask on, he had to take it off. He pulled the beanie down and kept his head lowered as much as possible during his meal.

He thought it was a waste of time to come here, but thankfully, the food tasted as good as he remembered. Several students glanced in his direction a couple of times during the meal. Maybe they recognized him or were suspicious of his identity.

And after he quickly finished his meal…

“Hah,” Su-hyeun sighed deeply while walking away.

Brahma asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m nervous since it’s been a while.”

“But why?”

“I guess you won’t understand since it doesn’t apply to you.”

The whole concept of having parents didn’t apply to Brahma.

He was a Primordial God—a god in charge of creation, no less. Every object in existence came from him, making Brahma the mother and father of all living things.

And the relationship between Kim Sung-in’s mother, Yun Hui-yeon, and the current Su-hyeun was too complicated to explain properly. Explaining such a situation at length to Brahma, who only held the faintest idea on the concept of having parents, would be a total waste of time.

“What should I say to her when I see her, though?” Su-hyeun contemplated.

It’s been a while?

However, they were not in any relationship where he could casually greet her like that. Su-hyeun might know who she was, but Yun Hui-yeon had no idea who he was.

No, wait—she probably knew about him. Not too many people on Earth hadn’t heard of Su-hyeun’s name by now, after all.

Even so, what should he say after suddenly showing up in front of her face?

“Ah, right.”

Su-hyeun came up with a plausible pretext and then quickly walked toward his destination: Dong-ha University’s Dungeon Research Department.

It was a newly established department that researched the cause of dungeon generation, awakener manifestation, and finally, the future of the dungeon exploration itself. The graduates sought out jobs in the fields related to locating dungeons, dealing with Ether stones, and managing the supply chain, plus other matters concerning awakeners.

Yun Hui-yeon was the professor of this department.

“It’s still the same.”

Su-hyeun didn’t major in this field in his previous life. However, the department was located in the same building as the course he attended, so the place felt familiar and nostalgic in some parts.

He walked up the flight of stairs to reach the fifth floor. When he stepped inside the department office, the teaching assistant welcomed Su-hyeun first.

“How can I help you?”

The way the assistant stared at him was a bit weird.

Only then did Su-hyeun remember that he was still wearing a black beanie and a white surgical mask.

He pondered briefly about what to say here and then took the mask and the beanie off altogether.

And when he did…

“Hueeeouhk?!”

“Is Professor Yun Hui-yeon in?”

“T—the p—professor… Y—y—yes! Her number is…”

While the flustered assistant was stuttering and rambling, Su-hyeun crossed his arms and silently waited.

The assistant called the professor on the phone and explained while stuttering that Kim Su-hyeun was in the office before entering full-on geek-out mode. The call didn’t continue for too long, though.

“She should arrive soon, so I might as well wait here,” he thought.

He was a little scared.

“Mother.”

He couldn’t be sure when he started calling her like that. Only after he reached middle school did he realize that the obvious-sounding title was a little different from what everyone else called their mothers.

“Everyone else said ‘mom’ and even spoke without honorifics.”

That was normal, after all.

Most children would call their mothers “mom” and speak to them familiarly. Some of his old friends did use polite speech when addressing their mothers, but he couldn’t recall any of them saying “mother.”

Su-hyeun’s home—no, Sung-in’s home was a bit unique in that regard. That was how strict and inflexible it was.

Creak—

After a little bit of waiting, the department office’s door opened, and someone entered.

It was Yun Hui-yeon.

“How do you do?”

As they greeted, Su-hyeun quickly scanned her and discovered something was off about Yun Hui-yeon.

“She looks more fatigued than usual,” he quietly observed.

Thick dark circles were visible below her eyes. She seemed exhausted, and her hair was slightly unkempt, too.

Something about her seemed to have changed.

“How do you do, Mister Su-hyeun? I heard you were looking for me.”

“A—ah, yes. Nice to meet you.”

Su-hyeun extended his hand toward her while saying hello. She guided him into her lab.

“You wish to help us out with our research?”

“Yes. I’ve checked out your thesis, you see. Although I don’t know much, I still would like to help however I can.”

No one out there should know more than Su-hyeun when it came to the topics of awakeners, the system found inside the Tower, or even the matters of the dungeon.

Yun Hui-yeon might be doing her best in the field of dungeon research, but Su-hyeun was probably the absolute expert in that field.

“Although, I can’t tell her everything.”

He figured that it would be wiser to exclude the stuff about Shiva and Brahma and that he was responsible for restoring the system. If he revealed such things, it would only fuel the confusion and chaos even more instead.

“This person is your mother?” Brahma asked again.

Su-hyeun replied yes in his head. The ball of light floating around next to him circled Yun Hui-yeon for a little while.

“You know, she’s different from the other mother you met earlier.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Yun Hui-yeon’s personality was the complete opposite of Shin Su-yeong’s.

She was pretty conservative and rather inflexible, a perfectionist, and an authoritarian, too.

She raised Sung-in to become a “perfect” human being. One could say that Yun Hui-yeon exerted the most significant influence in his life.

“In the past, I was scared of her, yet now…”

Su-hyeun studied Yun Hui-yeon’s back that seemed somewhat smaller than his memories.

“Was she always this delicate, I wonder?”

“I’m sorry?” Yun Hui-yeon, bringing out tea for both of them, asked in a surprised voice when she heard Su-hyeun’s quiet muttering.

He quickly shook his head, “Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

“We have already met before, haven’t we?”

Su-hyeun’s heart tumbled in his chest at Yun Hui-yeon’s follow-up question.

However, his line of thinking that such an event couldn’t have been possible didn’t last for long.

“You showed up at my place before, remember?”

“Ah…”

That was right. She talked about when he went to her house right after he regressed to the past.

“A—ah, yes. That did happen.”

“Because you suddenly appeared and asked for someone named Kim Sung-in, I wondered who you could be. But one day, I started seeing you appearing on TV.”

“I apologize for showing up unannounced like that. I mixed up your address with a friend’s place, you see.”

“A friend’s place, you say…”

She began mulling over Su-hyeun’s reply as a complicated expression floated upon her face.

What was she thinking about?

This uncomfortable bout of silence extended for a while. Since Yun Hui-yeon wasn’t willing to speak up first, all Su-hyeun could do was awkwardly fidget with the teacup and remain silent.

Eventually, though, she broke the silence, “I’ve been having a dream since that day.”

“A dream?”

“That day” must’ve been when Su-hyeun showed up at her doorstep.

Yun Hui-yeon quietly muttered, “Yes,” before continuing, “It’s a dream about my son named Kim Sung-in..”

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<<<<515525533534535536537545555>555
Total Chapters in book: 555
Estimated words: 1462055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 7310(@200wpm)___ 5848(@250wpm)___ 4874(@300wpm)
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