Chapter 0: Prologue – Return

In the heart of downtown Seoul, South Korea.

Countless people moved busily, each tending to their own affairs.

Kugugung!

Into such a scene, with a sudden loud noise, a massive Gate began to rise from the ground.

Its size was enormous, rivaling the height of nearby buildings.

“A G-Gate!”

“Report it quickly!”

“Run away, quickly!”

Startled people screamed, getting as far away from the Gate as possible.

The appearance of a Gate signaled that monsters would soon emerge from within.

To save their lives, people rapidly evacuated the area.

“Of all times, why does this happen when I’m on vacation…”

One young man, unlike the fleeing crowd, approached the Gate.

He wore ordinary casual clothes, but what set him apart was the complete absence of fear; instead, he looked rather annoyed.

“Whew, the size of this Gate is no joke, huh?”

“Tell me about it.”

“If we’re unlucky, couldn’t an S-rank monster come out of this?”

The young man tossed a joke to the others heading towards the Gate and drew his weapon.

A pure white longsword that glinted sharply as it reflected the light.

“Please.”

“Let us get through today safely as well.”

The young man swallowed hard, gazing at the still-growing Gate.

Every Hunter knew that the size of a Gate correlated with the rank of the monsters within.

The Gate before them was easily ten stories high.

“…”

As the Gate continued to expand, the Hunters grew quieter.

If a beast emerged from a Gate of that size, it would surely be massive enough to make humans feel like ants.

And he, being merely a low-level Hunter, would surely die.

“Damn.”

“Did I make a mistake coming here…?”

Regret suddenly washed over the young man.

‘Couldn’t I at least save my own life if I pretend I didn’t see it and run away now?’

The thought wrestled endlessly in his mind.

Thud!

While the young man hesitated, the rising Gate stopped.

“It’s a Break Out!”

“Get ready!”

The massive Gate shimmered and began to activate.

Everyone aimed their weapons and prepared their magic, waiting for monsters to appear.

But even as time passed, no monsters came out.

“Ooh…”

“Have I finally arrived!”

“Does this mean my experiment was a success!”

The shimmering activation of the Gate ceased in an instant.

A young voice echoed from the front of the Gate, drawing everyone’s gaze.

“…A little girl?”

“She’s cute…”

“It might be a monster disguised as a young girl!”

At the end of the Hunters’ aimed weapons stood a silver-haired girl, draped in a robe larger than her own body.

“This isn’t the Earth I know…?”

“That can’t be right…”

“That Hangul I clearly see means this is South Korea, though…”

The girl looked no older than a high school student at best.

The young man aimed his sword at the silver-haired girl muttering incomprehensible words.

“Identify yourself!”

“Hm?”

“My identity, you ask?”

“That’s right.”

“Who are you?”

Even as he spoke, the young man felt like dying inside.

‘Couldn’t she be a humanoid monster that appeared leading this giant Gate?’

In a fantasy world setting, the ability to open a Gate likely meant she was a high-ranking monster, at the very least.

‘She might be the mastermind sending monsters to Earth!’

The other Hunters seemed to share the young man’s thoughts.

They waited for the girl to speak.

“This body is…”

Gulp.

“Called Edelin Persephone.”

“The greatest archmage on the continent, a member of the Hero’s party, and the head of the Persephone family.”

“I can also wield all elements…”

“…”

“…”

The girl, who called herself Edelin, proudly puffed out her chest as she boasted.

Unfortunately, the Hunters’ reaction was simply, ‘What’s with this kid?’.

The greatest archmage on the continent?

A member of the Hero’s party?

Head of the Persephone family?

Only nonsensical words spilled from the girl’s mouth.

“So… you’re saying you’re human?”

“Seems like it…?”

The Hunters murmured amongst themselves.

Reading the Hunters’ expressions, the silver-haired girl, Edelin, pounded her chest with her fist as if frustrated.

“So you don’t believe this body.”

“I shall show you proof that this body is an archmage.”

“Watch closely!”

The girl began to chant an unknown spell.

Instinctively, the Hunters felt their skin crawl.

‘We have to stop her.’

They didn’t know what she was plotting, but they knew it was dangerous to let her continue.

“Stop!”

“If you don’t… huh?”

“Gueeeghk”

The girl chanting the spell suddenly behaved strangely, collapsing onto the ground.

She began to vomit a large amount of blood.

“…What is this monster?”

“Ah…!”

Seeing the girl’s nonsensical actions, the young man recalled something he had forgotten, a phrase written in a corner of the Hunter guidelines.

• Missing persons who disappeared during the day the upheaval began sometimes return through Gates.

It wasn’t a frequent occurrence, so it was a fact he had completely forgotten.

“This person.”

“Could she perhaps be a Returnee?”

“Ah…”

“Why didn’t I think of that?”

The Hunters found the girl’s state understandable now.

Generally, the Gate of a Returnee was typically summoned in a size roughly similar to the person.

But this girl’s Gate was on a different dimension.

That was why everyone had assumed she was a monster.

“Let’s hand her over to the relevant department for now.”

The Hunters lifted the girl, who had lost consciousness after vomiting a massive amount of blood onto the ground.

“This… body… is… the… great… arch… mage… I… am…”

The Hunters shook their heads at the girl’s murmurs, uttered even as she lost consciousness.

Had she lost her mind after being sucked into the Gate?

Or was it just an act?

They couldn’t tell, but the emotion they all shared was singular.

‘What a poor girl.’

‘She must have suffered so much that her mind broke.’

Only feelings of pity remained.

And so, the archmage Edelin was able to return to her original world, 12 years after being transported to another.