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A little while ago.

In one of the countless dimensions connected to Earth due to a dimensional rift.

“Ahahaha! It’s all done! It’s finally done!”

In that place, a beautiful young man with black hair was laughing heartily, as if the world would end.

He was none other than Seong Jin-hong, the 17th leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

From beggars living off the streets to high-born princesses, there was not a single person in the Central Plains who did not know his name, the number one in the Central Plains, the number one in the world, and the number one across all ages.

“Ahahaha!”

He couldn’t stop laughing due to an indescribable sense of happiness.

It’s done! Finally done! Everything!

“Master! Since the banquet began, you haven’t stopped laughing. Are you that happy?”

“Of course! How can I not be happy? I, Seong Jin-hong, have seized everything in the world! How could I not be happy!”

As he said, Seong Jin-hong had obtained everything under heaven.

His personal strength had reached an otherworldly level, and no one in the Central Plains could match him.

Even the majestic imperial family bowed their heads to his achievements, capable of slaying armies of ten thousand single-handedly.

Money, women, status, honor, power—everything belonged to him. If he desired, usurping the throne and taking his place as emperor would not even be a dream.

“At last, I’ve come this far! How joyous! Truly joyous!”

In front of the grand finale of his life, Seong Jin-hong did not doubt it.

He believed this supreme happiness and satisfaction would last forever. After overcoming all adversities, he, now at the peak, would enjoy wealth and glory for eternity.

However.

Seong Jin-hong did not know.

That an end always comes unexpectedly.

—Biiiiiing!!

“Grrrrr?!”

Suddenly, a deafening ringing pierced his ears.

With that ringing, a massive rift opened right before Seong Jin-hong’s eyes.

“Wha—!”

He had seen something like this before. But when was it?

His mind couldn’t follow the sudden change in circumstances. The increasing ringing made it hard to think straight.

“Grrrrrr!”

Seong Jin-hong fell to the ground in agony. At the same time, the rift opened its giant mouth and swallowed him whole.

Darkness.

For a brief moment, the world went dark, and soon after, light returned once more.

“What on earth is this…?”

Awakening, Seong Jin-hong found himself witnessing a changed scenery.

The grand banquet, the bowing deities, and the flattering beauties had all vanished.

Instead, what lay before him was an old room with a musty smell of mold.

“What the hell is this?”

At first, he couldn’t remember.

But soon, memories buried deep in his mind began to resurface.

“This room is definitely… the one where I originally lived…”

And along with the memories of the place came memories of the life he had long forgotten.

Seong Jin-hong, the 17th leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

He was originally an ordinary office worker living in 21st century South Korea.

His real name was Kim Beom-su. A 41-year-old man who had just passed the threshold of middle age.

Both of his parents had passed away when he was in his twenties.

He dropped out of college, bouncing from factories to manual labor, and, by chance, landed a job at a major construction company’s subcontractor, eventually rising to the position of site supervisor.

However.

Was it because he had lived such a harsh existence that he had no leisure to look around?

His hurried life was incredibly dull.

He had neither a marriage nor even a girlfriend. Friends? Well, he had a few from high school, but they gradually lost contact as they aged.

The only remaining acquaintance was a colleague from work, but even there, they hardly shared anything meaningful beyond work.

With hardly anyone around, he often spent all his money on drinking and entertainment. Naturally, he had no hobbies to speak of.

The only thing resembling a hobby was reading martial arts novels on his phone during waiting times on site.

That was truly the life he had led.

A life utterly different from that of Seong Jin-hong, the 17th leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Ordinary, if ordinary, but definitely boring.
That was the life he had originally lived.

“What is this…?”

And Seong Jin-hong, no, Kim Beom-su, was thrown back into that original life.

Just like 15 years ago, when he was abruptly thrown into a martial arts world without any warning.

And then.

—Click.

“!!”

Amidst the confusion, the front door of his apartment swung open. A pair of elegantly dressed men and women entered, illuminated by the sunset.

“Who are you?! Who the hell are you?!”

“Are you Kim Beom-su?”

“I asked who you are! How dare you look so proud in front of me—”

“Understandably, you must be confused. Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are civil servants from the Returnee Management Agency. I am Kim Ye-rim, the manager in charge of the Gangbuk area, and this is Seo In-taek, also a manager.”

“…Returnee, what?”

“May I ask again, are you Kim Beom-su?”

The formal tone of the civil servant made Seong Jin-hong’s brain begin to process reality.

“Returned?”

Back to reality. Back to the original world I lived in.

As Kim Beom-su, not Seong Jin-hong.

“…So, who did you say you were?”

The respectful tone that slipped out of his calmer head.

In that moment, Kim Beom-su thought about how long it had been since he had spoken to someone with respect. Awkwardly, he posed the question, and the civil servant kindly responded.

“I am Kim Ye-rim, manager of the Returnee Management Agency. We are civil servants established to assist individuals like you who have been transferred to another world and returned to this one.”

Kim Ye-rim handed him a business card. It was neatly printed with the words ‘Kim Ye-rim, Manager of the Returnee Management Agency.’

“Oh.”

It was not handwritten. It was distinctly printed, with clean, mechanical lettering.

Seeing that, Kim Beom-su finally realized that he had returned to the original world.

“Does this mean I can never go back to that other world?”

But the emotion that hit him then was not one of relief.

As the confusion faded, it was one of regret and injustice.

“Mr. Kim Beom-su, you are a victim of the transdimensional rift incident that occurred on April 25, 2018, commonly referred to as the Great War Incident. Due to the dimensional rift’s impact, you were transported to a world entirely different from this reality, where you spent approximately 15 years. Today’s date is March 10, 2033…”

The words of the official, whatever her title, went in one ear and out the other.

As reality sank in, the things he had left behind in that world began to fill his mind.

What about the realm I painstakingly achieved?
Power?
Strength?
The wealth I amassed?
The power?
The position?
The wives and women?

The realization that everything had been wiped away left Kim Beom-su with an indescribable sense of loss.

Just moments ago, he had felt a supreme happiness, having everything, but now an emotion diametrically opposed to that flooded his mind.

“…So we detected your return signal early and came to provide this guidance swiftly. You may find it uncomfortable to live in this world again. So when you need help, please contact us at this number for assistance—”

“…Is there no way to go back?”

The words escaped him with great difficulty.

At his words, Kim Ye-rim’s expression darkened for a moment. But having faced such cases countless times, she quickly regained her composure and responded.

“I’m sorry, but that is not possible. To date, there has been no case of a returnee crossing back to the world they were transported from.”

A cold response. But a realistic one.

Kim Beom-su could not endure the overwhelming sense of loss that washed over him.

It was understandable, as he truly had achieved it all.

Starting as a lowly follower of the Heavenly Demon Cult, he had risen to the position of the Heavenly Demon, conquering the Central Plains, achieving number one across all time.

Having overcome all those years of hardship, he thought he would finally enjoy a comfortable and happy life sitting at the top.

And now, suddenly, to be thrown back into the original world.

To have returned.

“What a nightmare…”

Kim Ye-rim said nothing to the despondent Kim Beom-su. She understood that no words spoken now would be of any help.

But given enough time, he too would adjust and come to terms with it. All they could do was assist him in making that adaptation process as smooth as possible.

“…Surely there must be something, some way, right?”

How long had passed? Kim Beom-su, still unable to accept reality, asked with a hesitant voice.

“You all say you are civil servants for returnees. So, surely, you must know of some way to traverse the two worlds, right?”

“Mr. Kim Beom-su, I must reiterate that such cases do not exist.”

“What?! No way! Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get to where I am?! Why…!”

This is too much. But who can it be too much for? They had no part in his transfer or return.

“Why, now of all times…!!”

At that moment.

—Whoa…

As Kim Beom-su’s emotions surged, an intangible aura began to rise from him.

Unbeknownst to him, Kim Ye-rim and Seo In-taek’s expressions froze in surprise.

“I had to beg like a beggar while living, and when I finally accomplish everything, you tell me to go back? Why… why…!”

Despair and sorrow.

Grief and misery.

And frustration and bitterness.

All those emotions swirled together, blending into rising anger.

And that anger started to awaken the power residing within him.

“Mr. Kim Beom-su, please calm down—”

“Why!!! Why now of all times?!!!”

—KWAAM!!!

At Kim Beom-su’s enraged shout, the intangible energy exploded outward from him.

Though there was no wind, Kim Ye-rim’s bangs blew as if struck by a fierce gust. Dust thickly filled the corners of the room, and all three of their faces showed simultaneous panic.

Both members of the Management Agency and even Kim Beom-su himself were astonished.

“Uh?”

Finally, Kim Beom-su looked down at his body.

In his line of sight were his two palms.

They were not those of a 41-year-old construction worker named Kim Beom-su.

They belonged to Seong Jin-hong, the 17th leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

‘My body…’

It came through. Only the body made it through.

But that was enough. The power, skills, and achievements that he had built up were all embedded within him.

And then.

“Mr. Kim Beom-su, please calm down. You are currently confused due to your sudden return—”

“Send me back to my original world.”

Kim Beom-su’s tone switched back to a more commanding one. Not just his words, but his gaze, expression, and demeanor had all changed. Fundamentally, his self-perception had shifted.

He was no longer the ordinary office worker, Kim Beom-su, living in South Korea.

He was now Seong Jin-hong, the Heavenly Demon who had reached the pinnacle of existence.

“Mr. Kim Beom-su, I must again say that such a method does not exist—”

“How dare you talk back to me!!”

—KWAAM!!!

Energy surged from Kim Beom-su again.

This time, it was a storm of power he had consciously summoned.

It was a killing intent and pressure directed straight at the two officials before him. The pressure cracked the glasses Kim Ye-rim was wearing.

Kim Beom-su felt wronged. And that grievance quickly morphed into resentment and anger directed at the two before him.

He knew that the situation he was in was not their fault. But at that moment, it did not matter.

“Find a way! By any means, send me back to my original world!”

To Kim Beom-su, no, to Seong Jin-hong, the other world was already his original world. Kim Ye-rim sighed deeply at the cognitive dissonance he was displaying.

“In-taek.”

“Yes.”

As Seo In-taek stepped forward, an unknown aura began to rise from him.

Calming the agitated returnee was also the duty of the administrators. He naturally bore some level of force.

“Rock.”

—Crack!

Seo In-taek muttered quietly, and solid rock encased his fists.

Seo In-taek was a returnee himself. When he was in the other world, he was a monk who accepted the power of spirits to strengthen his body. His fists could crush rocks and make the earth tremble.

However.

“How dare you!!!”

Before Seo In-taek could even attempt to do anything, Seong Jin-hong shot out his fist like lightning and struck him.

—Kwahhhhh!!!

In an instant, Seo In-taek’s body flew out of the apartment, crashing through the wall. He had no time to defend or evade.

A monk using the power of spirits?

What did that matter?

Before Seo In-taek stood a Heavenly Demon who had risen to the peak of existence.

“Eh?”

Kim Ye-rim’s gaze followed the gaping hole. Seo In-taek was nowhere to be seen.

That was the power of the number one in the Central Plains.

A force that allowed no resistance, truly the embodiment of injustice.

“…If you don’t want to end up like him, find a way by any means.”

“…”

Even under Seong Jin-hong’s threat, Kim Ye-rim’s expression remained calm.

At least on the surface.

‘…This is bad.’

Seo In-taek, a B-class holder of abilities, hadn’t been able to fight back at all.

That meant that to stop the man before her, they would need the force of an entire army.

But calling in military forces in a residential area was out of the question.

…Then there was only one method left.

“C-can I contact my superior…?”

“You should hurry. My patience is quite limited.”

At his words, Kim Ye-rim broke out in a cold sweat and pulled out her phone.

Naturally, she wouldn’t consult her superior about this matter. Asking to be sent back to another world was impossible from the start.

Instead, Kim Ye-rim sent the following text message through the emergency channel of the agency.

[ A first-class emergency situation has been triggered by the returnee. ]
[ Requesting the summon of the executioners. ]