After Returning, My Abilities are Infinite

Episode 146. Return (3)

Back from the world of Transcendents, Jeong Si-woo was spending time training alone. He couldn’t tell what had happened with other Transcendents, but he had created three powers on his own in a short period. And he was still constructing images them on his body.

The Traveler hid his amazement. He had pretended it wasn’t a big deal, but it was.

‘He’s more than a genius.’

Right after transcending, Transcendents were weak. They needed at least 100 years to surpass the power of their mortal days. Transcendents were very weak during the process of emptying everything they accumulated over the years and filling themselves with new things. So weak that they probably couldn’t defeat the hunters from Jeong Si-woo’s world in a battle.

They were also very inexperienced. Most Transcendents were scholars that underwent spiritual and mental training. Jeong Si-woo’s case was very unusual.

It was very rare for someone born with natural combat sensitivity and talent to transcend.

But even among those Transcendents, no one had advanced as fast as Jeong Si-woo.

‘He has already exceeded the power of his mortal days. He has even surpassed most established Transcendents in an instant.’

The Transcendent with a body of burning fire. He was no better than an insect to the Traveler, but not to other Transcendents. He had enough class to make his body an element itself, and he possessed more than hundreds of powers.

But just because he was prevented from crushing Jeong Si-woo with his class, Jeong Si-woo almost killed him. In fact, if the Traveler hadn’t stopped Jeong Si-woo, the Transcendent would have been destroyed on the spot.

A rookie who had been here for less than a year had almost rebelled against his superior.

‘…After Jeong Si-woo is resurrected, his face will be worth seeing.’

That arrogant guy who unleashed monsters on Jeong Si-woo’s world and who was trying to steal what belonged to him. The Traveler wondered how his face would look when a single human smashed his painstakingly constructed system and rules to pieces.

If a seemingly insignificant human overturned and messed up everything, how shocked and furious would he be?

A Transcendent with atypical potential, Jeong Si-woo was a ticking bomb. A secret weapon too destructive for any Transcendent to expect.

“…I’ve worked things out now. You told me to build up all the power I could before I’m resurrected, right? I think this will be enough.”

The Traveler was thinking when Jeong Si-woo, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, approached him. The Traveler nodded and spoke casually.

“Is that so? Then we can get started.”

But actually, the Traveler wanted to laugh out loud on the spot. He forced his mouth from smiling and tried hard not to betray his emotions.

“Okay, hold out your hand.”

It was so hard to hold back from laughing when he thought of the impact that Jeong Si-woo would have.

* * *

“Resurrection is not a big deal. It may seem incredible to mortals, but it’s just a small event for Transcendents.”

“A small event…….”

“Yes. Your bare soul cannot be harmed in the world of mortals. Only your body is harmed. So even if we die, as long as we have a body, we can be resurrected indefinitely.”

Resurrected indefinitely. That phrase stuck in my head. Yes, now I could vaguely tell why our world was entertainment to Transcendents. It was no different from a game.

No matter what they did down there, nothing could threaten them. And nobody would know who they were exactly. No matter how horrible the things they did were, the mortals would just pray to the gods above. How funny and interesting it must be.

“Resurrection is simple. You just have to envision a strong image. An image of resurrection so impressive that it will erase the image of the death you experienced. One so amazing that even those close to you will momentarily forget your death and stare in awe.”

“Enough to forget everything?”

“Yes. Then, for a moment, the image of life will be stronger than that of death in their minds. The power of Transcendents is based on imagery and conception. If there is a more intense image, a Transcendent can summon it into reality.”

“…….”

“However, it takes a new Transcendent one to two years on average to succeed at resurrection……. I don’t know how long it will take for you. Conceiving a strong image is not as easy as you think.”

“I’ll try.”

As soon as I heard him, I closed my eyes again and sat down. One to two years. I couldn’t afford that much time. If the last thing I saw was what was going on right now, I needed to hurry every minute and every second.

I quickly tried to construct the best image I could imagine by assembling all the memories wandering in my head.

“Well… if it’s too difficult, there’s another way. Using the Akashic Records. Now that you’ve become a Transcendent, you’ll be able to use mythical stories without any penalty. Aren’t there a lot of myths about resurrection? There’s that classic one about rising from the dead on the third day.”

“…….”

“But I don’t recommend it. Unless you’ve achieved resurrection yourself, you won’t be able to build up class justly for the things you’ll achieve in the future. In the end, doing it yourself is the best way.”

The Traveler’s voice gradually faded away, and memories floated up in my mind.

Which appearance left the strongest impression on me?

The first one that came to mind was Seol Ah-rin before I went back in time. The overwhelming sight of her showing up with all of the forgotten modern firearms and wiping out the legion of hunters. Her sharp voice ringing across the battlefield. It was an unforgettable moment.

But it wasn’t the most intense memory. It wasn’t enough to erase my death.

“If it’s too difficult, take it easy. Even skilled Transcendents… even I have to stay up for at least two nights to create a new body here and be resurrected…….”

What memory would leave the strongest impression? The time when the Martial God first appeared and wiped out the front line?

No. Then the time when Yoo Ji-yeon saved a whole city with the flick of her finger? No.

No matter how many impressive moments of the -Five Heroes- I recalled, I couldn’t suppress the memory of my death.

It felt like digging for jewels in a swamp. Rummaging through objects stuck in a sticky place, I was searching for something shiny. I sank endlessly.

To the very depths.

My mind slowly ran toward the past.

-Get out of here!

My helpless second death. How something unknown cut off my head.

-Just trust us. We’ll trust you, too, Mr. Si-woo.

Han Yeon-soo’s voice. How she smiled faintly and promised to get rid of the guardians. And the members of the Jeong Si-woo Division who joined in.

-I don’t usually use honorifics. But if you need me to, I can.

My encounter with Lee Hyun-seung. The hero of the past who was supposed to be dead.

Numerous memories floated up and came together.

The Fourth Disaster, Third Disaster, Second Disaster, and First Disaster.

They all passed by. And every moment when people who were supposed to die stayed alive because I ended up meeting them appeared clearly.

-So… you’re saying that you inherited my characteristic? Haha. That is quite surprising.

Kim Young-hwan, the hero who would have died in vain.

-I always need to know things that I want to know about. I much, and I need everything to proceed nicely. And my smooth plans have failed since you showed up. Now I’m tired of tolerating it.

Kim Min-jae. The President of the Association who was supposed to have survived until the very end.

-Let me talk to you for a second, Lee Jin-woo.

Lee Jin-woo, who sadly died before knowing how talented he was, became a very reliable teammate once he realized it.

happen in my previous life had intertwined to form my second life.

So what was the most intense appearance of them all? What kind of entrance did I need to make to erase my death rooted in everyone’s memory……?

“……!”

And then, something flashed through my head.

An appearance. There was one guy you couldn’t leave out when talking about strong appearances. Throughout both of my lives, there was one appearance that was the most intense. Not just for me, but all of humanity.

The appearance of the Great Overlord, which hadn’t happened yet in this life. If I reenacted it… I was certain that my death would be forgotten easily.

I opened my eyes.

“…Hmm?”

The Traveler looked at me strangely.

“W-wait. How did you…….”

And even before his words were over, my vision suddenly drifted away. It felt like I was being sucked into somewhere. White light filled my sight, and my body, which had been so light, became a little heavy. It felt like I was covered in some sort of thin shell.

I could instinctively tell that it was ‘my body to use in the real world’. I had succeeded. I was being resurrected.

“…Block it. Everybody… move─!”

I could hear familiar voices coming from far away. It was a relief. It wasn’t over yet. If things ended here, I wouldn’t be able to bear it. I clenched my fist. The white light split apart, and I could see the battleground unfold before my eyes.

I was back.

In the real world.

* * *

“Oh….”

The situation was simply desperate. Most hunters had given up, and they were just barely holding on to the defense line with all their might.

It was thanks to Kim Seung-hyun and Lee Hyun-seung. The two were doing more than a hundred or even a thousand hunters, so the Wailing Wall remained intact.

“We… we’ll all die. Let’s just fall back and request backup!”

“If we get breached, there won’t be any backup! If they get through the wall, it’s over!”

“So you’re saying that we should all die here?”

But humans in despair were pessimistic. The negative emotions spread out rapidly, reaching the point of internal conflict.

However, Lee Hyun-seung and Kim Seung-hyun had no time to worry about it. They were already too overwhelmed by the battle.

The monsters kept breaking through the line of defense, and the Great Overlord roared constantly. After Kim Seung-hyun’s amazing feat, many people were given enormous power.

But the Martial God’s power didn’t come from strength. It came from ‘undying will’. And hunters without such will couldn’t use even half of Kim Seung-hyun’s power.

Things had become better, but not drastically.

The monsters kept pouring out.

What could they do in this situation?

“…Oh.”

At that moment.

Someone let out a small noise.

“U-up there….”

And everyone looked up to the sky.

Something was strange.

“What is that?”

The red sky changed color. It was a holy sight that belonged to legends. The sky was painted completely white without a hint of color, and the light shone so brightly that it looked like an Angel was descending.

And at the same time, the sky split in half. It was similar to a Rift occurrence, but it felt different. It was like the sky was opening. A phenomenal sight was unfolding in front of them.

One Christian believer among the hunters even cried out that a miracle was happening.

“…Returned.”

From high above the sky, they could hear a faint voice. And simultaneously, Han Yeon-soo’s eyes regained their light. The members of the Jeong Si-woo Division also looked different. While the others may not know, they could tell whose voice it was, just by hearing a single word.

“I have returned!”

A thunderous roar rang out. And at the same time, white lightning struck.

The man who descended from the split sky held a long sword. And as he fell, he split the giant monster the Great Overlord was riding from its head to its groin.

Perfectly in half, in a straight line.

A straight white line was drawn, and blood sprouted everywhere. And the man that landed on the ground slowly stood up and looked back.

And with that, everyone realized who had appeared. His death was completely wiped from their minds. His entrance was that intense.

“Don’t fight in such a messy formation. Let’s do it right, okay?”

Thud, thud.

The dead, bisected monster fell to the ground with a huge thud. The Great Overlord, who had been sitting on its head, helplessly fell off. And Jeong Si-woo smiled confidently, paying no attention to it.

“Y… yeaaahhh!”

A huge roar broke out, blocking out all noises.

Instead of responding, Jeong Si-woo turned back again and ran out towards the battlefield, at the very front.

At an overwhelming speed incomparable to before.