Everyone Else is a Returnee

After finishing off all the dragonkin within the cavern, Yu IlHan collected their dead bodies and checked on his injuries.

No matter how great his concealment was, it was impossible to finish off all of them without an injury, as seen by the fact that his cheeks were slightly burnt and his shoulders had frost on them.

“I have a fire-specialized armor, so should I make an ice one next? I will swap them according to the situation.”`

There was no need to be bent on making high ranked equipments. In the future, Yu IlHan’s enemies would have their own attributes, so if he could prepare several equipments that specialized in each attribute, then what would he fear!

[It sounds like you’re getting spec’ed up for a raid.]

“*ehem*”

Flinching at Erta’s sharp comment, he still managed to calmly treated his injuries. Of course, these were all at a level that could be solved with bloodrink and transcendent regeneration. This was the reason why Yu IlHan could achieve easy victories against 3rd classes even without rest.

“I think I really need to do something with the dragon’s blood later. It will definitely become something damned good, perhaps better than the bloodrink from troll’s blood.”

[Well the effect may be damned good, but your life may be doomed.]

“Well, I just need to raise my extreme poison resistance.”

Yu IlHan Erta had their normal, idiotic banter and was resting from the battle fatigue, when Reta, the observer sighed a little.

[If I had abilities like yours, then it wouldn’t just have been a dream to save Dareu.]

Reta’s voice contained deep resentment and regret at her own lack of ability.

Yu IlHan wondered what he should tell her. You’ve never been alone for a thousand years so shut up – and retort? Or console her?

Judging that they were both wrong, Yu IlHan just licked his lips. Although the counterpart made a mistake in words, retorting about it meant that he would be making the same mistake.

Instead, he said this.

“We’ve cleaned this part up, so let’s go meet the elf survivors. It’s the hope you’ve found.”

[……Yes. Let’s do that. Thank you.]

Reta’s voice contained a hint of hope again. This was perhaps the first time Yu IlHan had chosen the correct choice of words, as he never ever chosen a correct option even in games due to his lack of interaction with other people. This was a milestone of growth that would have been impossible without Lita or Erta.

They left the cavern and charged throughout the wide mountains. Did everything become like this after continuous Great Cataclysms? Dareu had a bigger everything than Earth. Higher mountains, bigger trees, and even bigger flowers.

“Interestingly, there are no monsters around here.”

[Although they may be nothing to you, the aura of 3rd class dragonkin are supposed to be frightening. To the point that it would be impossible for non-intelligent monsters to resist.]

Yu IlHan had no tracking ability, but since Reta could find exactly where the elves were hiding, he ran in a straight line without the need to side track. At one moment, Yu IlHan also succeeded in sensing the presences of the elves on his own.

“Mm?”

“What is it”

That was also when he heard voices. The place where the elves were hiding became clear. They had dug out nearby trees and lived inside them. The number was 13, and they were all skin and bones.

“No, I thought the alarm magic trembled for a moment.”

“But it’s not broken. Dragons would never use such a soft method.”

It wasn’t that they had perfectly sensed Yu IlHan’s presence, but their magic seemed to have registered a moment of unfamiliarity. Realizing again that magic wasn’t to be looked down upon, Yu IlHan dropped himself in the middle of the trees.

“I can’t feel anything. Save up energy rather than speaking. There’s still time until the ones who went out to hunt food to come back.”

“Shit, how much longer do we have to live like this?”

Seeing how they didn’t notice Yu IlHan even though he was right in front of them, it seemed like the alarm magic only amounted to that much.

Since something may go wrong, Yu IlHan first checked their danger levels, and confirmed that they were all below level 50 or just above, before releasing his concealment.

In fact, he felt quite proud being able to dispel his own concealment, but he didn’t show it on the outside. Erta would tease him if he did.

“What!?”

“I, it’s a human!”

“Humans should all have died. Isn’t it a dragon’s transformation?”

All 13 elves in that area instantly went into panic. The elves hiding within the trees all rushed out and attempted to escape without the slightest hesitation.

It would be a lie to say that he didn’t feel bad for them, but unlike his impression, Yu IlHan moved ruthlessly. He caught each one of them and smacked them before throwing them to one side.

“I will finish you without pain if you stay still!”

“*Hiccup!”

[That’s a complete villain’s line!]

Nodding at Erta’s comment, Yu IlHan changed his line.

“Oh, you’re right. Then. It will be over in a flash so just close your eyes. *creepy laugh*”

[That’s even worse! You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you!]

“You realized that now?”

Yu IlHan moved busily even under Erta’s scolding after she realized his intentions. No matter how much the elves struggled, they were dancing on the top of Yu IlHan’s palm, so it took only 18 seconds for the situation to clear up.

The elves that were thrown against the tree cried tears of sadness as if they had lost all hope, while looking straight at Yu IlHan. The scene was strangely… erotic.

Even though there were more men than women here, how come he thought of an ominous scene in an ominous anime…(T/N: *cough* boku *cough* no *cough* pico *cough). Yu IlHan cursed himself for thinking that it was worth coming here just for this scene, but perhaps due to his higher curse resistance, nothing happened.

“Wh, who are you!”

“Is this the legendary polymorph? D, damned dragons……!”

“Ki, kill us! We will never leak the positions of our colleagues!”

Even though he had done nothing other than just making them stay put, he ended up learning that there were others. Yu IlHan seriously considered becoming a detective, and spoke to them.

“It’s up to you to believe it, but I am a human that’s hunting dragonkin in Dareu continent after my interests coincided with that of Reta Kar’iha.”

“Reta Kar’iha!? The last hero of the continent……”

“You really are human?”

Their eyes all widened. There was no way they could obediently believe in Yu IlHan’s words after their lifestyle until now.

“No, we can’t believe you. You’re a dragon!”

“The ones that made Reta Kar’iha like that are also you dragons! We will never believe in you!”

“Okay, then don’t. Though, I did have something to ask, it’s fine since I confirmed that there are intelligent species surviving.

Yu IlHan’ turned around to leave. Due to his clean entrance and a clean exit, the elves instead became confused.

“Didn’t you come here because you wanted something!?”

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to kill us all at the same time when our colleagues come back!”

“It will never go your way!”

Even though Yu IlHan had spoken nothing, they revealed everything about themselves.

When he really tried to leave without doing anything, the elves instead became confused and grabbed him.

“W, wait! If you really aren’t a dragon but a human, then I want to hear your reason in coming here!”

“Heh!”

Just as planned.

[It’s not that you’re doing something bad, but how can you have such an evil smile…]

[Splendid communication skills.]

Vaguely listening to Reta’s praises that didn’t suit her personality, Yu IlHan turned around towards the elves. It was good that his helmet prevented the elves from seeing his expression.

“I got a request from Reta Kar’iha. She thought that she was the last elf, but now that there are survivors here, she was wondering why it is so.”

“How can a human……”

“Reta Kar’iha is dead. How can she……?”

“Through some methods, I’m accompanying her thoughts. Do I have to prove this? Would it be enough proof if I show you that the magic formation the empire created is controlled by me?”

There was no better proof. With Reta’s light test, the elves all instantly acknowledged Yu IlHan in their hearts. They knew very well about Reta Kar’iha, their last hero.

“We couldn’t help her because we were too weak. It really is a sad thing.”

“But we were scared of death. We could only hide like what they……”

“So, how are you all alive?”

Yu IlHan asked them again. Even though he thought that there was a huge secret involved, one of the elves gave an answer without hesitation.

“The people that called themselves ‘the Garden of Sunset’ hid us, saying that our world is not fated to end yet……”

What the… what was that childish name that sounded like a common guild name in a game he played in elementary school? Yu IlHan became confused, but Erta seemed like she had an inkling.

[The Garden of Sunset is a group of higher existences that claim that they have the power to read the future, and do mysterious things. Well, they don’t openly oppose us like the Destruction Demon Army and the Army of Brilliant LIght, but they move around in such a strange fashion to the point that we’d rather have them openly oppose us.]

“Hmm, so it’s like a cult.”

[This matter is the same. Like how they are Transcenders, it would be difficult for them to directly influence a lower world, so they should have contacted the exceptional ones.]

“Thanks. You’re really the best, Ertawagon.”

At that point, Yu IlHan was becoming more and more unsettled.

The reason was very simple.

Like what Erta said just now, the ones ‘belonging’ to the Garden of Sunset must be lower existences, but not elves, yet strong enough to the point that higher existences chose to contact them. However, as far as he knew, there was only one kind that fit the criteria near here.

Well, until a moment ago, it did.

“So, it was a dragonkin that hid you here?”

The ones that brought the elves to ruin was definitely dragonkin. However, if there was anyone that could protect the elves away from their sight? That also cannot be anyone but the dragonkin.

“Yes. The tens of dragonkin that live near here! They said that they are under orders of Garden of Sunset and helped us hide.”

“Oooh! So it really was like that!”

They’re doomed!

“I knew it felt a little off to kill them!”

[And here, you killed them ruthlessly too.]

Of course, he had no regrets. If he had to check for ally or enemy for every monster he met, then he would be the first one to die. Moreover, there was no way he could have imagined that dragonkin were protecting the elves.

He wasn’t trying to give himself indulgence. From long before Earth met its Great Cataclysm, Yu IlHan had long since set his resolve on living selfishly. From the moment he was left on Earth with just Lita.

It was just that he became slightly worried that other things may interfere his smooth sailing situation.

“Won’t I end up going against those Garden of Sunset guys at this rate?”

[They cannot touch you directly. No, they said they could read the future, so they perhaps already knew that the dragonkin will be killed by you. There’s nothing for you to worry about. It will just be a pain for us.]

“Then that’s fine.”

Yu IlHan shrugged his shoulders. Now that he had massacred the ones belonging to the Garden of Sunset, there was no way he could know what they were up to, nor did he care about it.

The only objective Yu IlHan had when coming over to Dareu was to obliterate the dragonkin! There was no need for him to take interest in other matters. He just had to fulfill his original objective.

“Then just keep hiding here.”

“Wh, what about you?”

“Well, I have no intentions in leaking where you live, so don’t worry. Oh, but if you tell anyone that you saw me, then I’ll definitely kill you.”

“*Hiccup!*”

Yu IlHan answered the elves and turned back before asking Reta if it was fine now.

Reta said she was satisfied.

[Even if it’s to let them live in peace, we need to kill all the remaining dragonkin. Please help, Yu IlHan-nim.]

“Leave it to me.

Although he was a rookie, wasn’t it Yu IlHan’s field of expertise as a deathgod?

Reta acquired more motivation after learning that there were still members of her own race left. Yu IlHan left once again with her and Erta, who was facepalming while thinking about what the Garden of Sunset was up to again.

Even though he had predicted that he would be facing 4th class dragons before he managed to finish the 3rd class dragonkin off, regardless of whether Yu IlHan was obliterating dragonkin or not, or whether he was simply walking around the continent, the dragonkin in Dareu did not notice Yu IlHan’s hunt.

Nothing happened to the formation either. The journey was smooth to the point that Yu IlHan was slightly disappointed.

17 days had passed.

Yu IlHan had finished killing 10 thousand 3rd class that the class advancement quest required him to, and he finally resolved to go against the 4th class dragonkin.

Author’s notes

Pervert Yu IlHan who now becomes disappointed if the journey is without plot twists.

Pervert Yu IlHan who now has a higher level of communication ability thanks to the accompaniment(?) of the angels.

Just as planned – the origin of evil smiles.

The higher existence organisations mentioned until now are the Destruction Demon Army, Army of Brilliant Light, Garden of Sunset, and lastly, the Heaven’s Army.

Many readers worry about getting experience and the difference in level between MC and people of Earth. It’s very natural for you to think so. IlHan is so monstrous. BUUT! You should realize from the experience patterns, but it’s not that higher levels give you loads of experience. That is also why it’s harder to level up as you become higher levels.

For example, a level 176 dragonkin give you less than 60 million exp, but a level 109 troll boss gave 8 million. In other words, You’d have killed a lv 176 dragonkin if you killed 7~8 troll bosses. Moreover, as seen from the story, IlHan started hunting from dragonkin that were just above 100, no? In other words, he didn’t earn that much experience. Now it’s different though!! 4th classes give 100 millions minimum!

Translator’s notes

Transcenders – higher existences.

(Think saints/deities in CD)

Proofreader: Koukouseidesu