ALL NOVEL Chapter 270
Chapter 270. Why
The woman who had been showering them with curses lost her presence.
Suddenly, the previously red sky began to fade in color.
At the same time, the force pulling Yoo Ji-han down to the ground grew weaker.
“Ugh…”
Yoo Ji-han let out a faint groan as he lifted his upper body.
His foggy mind started to clear up.
Soon, his vision captured the figures of his companions who had also crossed into the dimensional boundary.
“Wha, just now it felt really ominous…”
“Click!”
Min Yu-ri glanced around, brushing her arms.
Chilla had lost her playful demeanor after entering the dimensional boundary, gripping her shield tightly with all her fur standing on end.
The others were no different.
“Did everyone feel that?”
“I felt it too.”
“Me too!”
“It was truly like something incredible passed by…”
“I thought I was dying, even if just for a moment!”
“Whoa…!”
During that brief moment of crossing from the dimensional boundary to Earth.
A storm of emotions similar to what Yoo Ji-han experienced swept over them all.
They were so startled that some dropped to their knees, with cold sweat dripping from their foreheads and backs.
Someone whose breath had caught in their throat exhaled heavily.
Boom!
Before they knew it, Yoon Do-ha had emerged back above ground.
He soon said with an extremely scrunched-up face, “There’s nothing within a 500m radius that poses any threat… What on earth was that?”
“Hahaha! This feeling is new to me…”
Watanabe, hearing this, gripped the hilt of his sword as if he could draw it at any moment.
Though he let out a carefree laugh, he remained tense.
The aura that had been enough to put those who had maintained their composure in Kallem on high alert.
Yet, there wasn’t a single tiny rat in sight, only deepening the confusion.
Thud!
Yoo Ji-han grabbed Kim Si-hu’s outstretched hand and stood up.
Seeing his unusual expression, Kim Si-hu asked with concern, “Hyung, are you okay?”
“Do you know what that was just now?”
“No.”
Unlike when they set off for Kallem, this time everyone could sense the woman’s presence.
The cursed voice she had spat out in fluent Korean echoed in Yoo Ji-han’s ears.
‘That was definitely directed at me.’
He was certain the person she spoke to was him.
But within his memories, there was no trace of such a woman’s voice.
Meaning he didn’t know her personally.
‘…I have no idea.’
Yoo Ji-han shook his head.
What was important right now wasn’t the strange woman’s words.
‘For now, we seem to have arrived safely.’
The ground he stood on was the designated spot they would use to return to Earth.
The only coordinates to return from the dimensional boundary.
Having visited this place once before, its internal structure felt very familiar.
“…Huh?”
At that moment, Yoo Ji-han paused as he reached into his pocket for a confirmation check.
The traveler’s paper he had clearly brought with him was nowhere to be found.
‘It’s gone?’
It wasn’t that his pocket was torn or that he had dropped it.
It simply vanished without a trace.
Yoo Ji-han instinctively realized, ‘It was something I couldn’t bring in the first place.’
The paper left behind by Traveler J for the other travelers.
It was an item he couldn’t escape from the cursed island.
Tap, tap, tap…
At that moment, footsteps echoed from afar.
The tense gazes of the heroes gathered all turned toward the sound.
If a monster were to approach, they were ready to tear it to shreds immediately.
“Gasp, gasp…”
But soon arriving was Yoon Ji-cheol from the Hero Department, panting heavily.
With a face showing the utmost excitement, he shouted at the heroes who remained tense, “Come quickly, come quickly!!”
Ten other worlds had been launched for Rank 1 Heroes.
Among the ten expedition teams sent to those worlds, Yoon Ji-cheol was warmly welcoming the first ones to return successfully.
*
The expedition members who succeeded in returning from Kallem straight away headed to the medical center located within the Hero Department.
Besides the mention of various races that had arrived locally, little was known about the unknown world.
It was a procedure to check whether they hadn’t brought back any new types of germs.
If they inadvertently brought back an epidemic without a cure, a great calamity could ensue.
Swoosh!
A mist containing disinfectant ingredients enveloped Yoo Ji-han’s entire body.
The healing and purifying magic prepared by several healers swept through every corner of his body.
“Ahchoo!”
“It’s so stuffy! Click!”
With Chilla, who looked like a drenched rat after the examination, Yoo Ji-han donned a white gown and moved to the waiting room.
The others who completed the examination slumped down onto the sofas to rest.
“Ah! The sofas here on Earth are the best!”
“Zzz…”
In Kallem, where the development of springs and cushions lagged behind Earth, they were indulging in unprecedented softness!
Among those dozing off on the couch was also Lee Mi-a.
“Ji-han! Over here!”
“Ji-cheol?”
Yoon Ji-cheol, who had first welcomed the party, waved at Yoo Ji-han.
He had been waiting for over two hours while the heroes underwent examinations.
After moving the two of them to a private room within the medical center, they sat in the prepared chairs.
“I’m really glad you came back safely.”
“It’s all thanks to your concern, Ji-cheol.”
“Oh come on, what did I even do…?”
Yoon Ji-cheol waved his hands, insisting he hadn’t done anything.
Their faces quickly grew serious as they exchanged brief pleasantries.
“Thank you for gathering the belongings of the fallen soldiers.”
The heroes who lost their lives in Kallem at the hands of the Puppeteer Desa.
The first thing Yoo Ji-han did upon returning to Earth was pass their bodies and belongings to Yoon Ji-cheol.
“The families of the fallen have already arrived in Korea. The funeral is scheduled for tomorrow.”
“What about Desa?”
“Leave the management of that magician Desa to us.”
“I don’t mind that… But I have a place I want to take him right away.”
“Are you talking about Yu-ri’s younger brother?”
“Yes.”
Desa was the only being capable of treating Magic Discoloration Syndrome at this point.
——You must never kill him. Absolutely…!
Min Yu-ri’s harsh warning when trying to drag him away made sense now.
“I’ll make sure there are no issues in that regard.”
“He’s also someone who could be helpful beyond just Magic Discoloration Syndrome.”
“I’m aware. We’ll ensure his safety.”
Uncurable diseases that couldn’t be addressed on Earth.
If they were simply classified as diseases rather than being termed curses, Desa could be of great help.
“What about the situation with the other expedition teams?”
“…Not much has changed since I last informed you.”
Yoon Ji-cheol sighed deeply while looking down at the desk.
Of the ten expedition teams that set off to ten dimensions, Kallem was the only one to achieve its original goal and return successfully.
“Four dimensions are still unreachable by any means.”
In fact, almost half, four of the ten dimensions were completely unreachable even through the Dimension Phones.
They couldn’t even ascertain whether the heroes there were alive or dead.
“Which ones are those?”
“Kalfel, Payahou, Robner, and Grudia.”
“Grudia…”
That dimension was the hometown of Erna Hass, Kim Si-hu’s mother, and the place where Baek Kang-cheon, the Guild Master of Red Hole, resided.
Hearing that the expedition team sent there could not be contacted put Yoo Ji-han in deep thought.
This was particularly so because Sian Pierce from Angels Garden was among that expedition.
‘I’d like to see that paper once.’
The mysterious paper Yoon Do-ha had mentioned seeing in England.
If it was of the same type as the one that existed on the Island of Death,
It was bound to have some messages written on it.
‘And I’ll definitely be able to read it.’
Yoo Ji-han was confident he would be able to read the letters written there.
“Besides that, we conveyed the methods you provided to the dimensions we were able to contact.”
“Any problems?”
“The problem lies with the magicians.”
Yoon Ji-cheol scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
Given how few magicians were as adept in dimensional magic as Kim Si-hu, others were struggling to come up with dimensional magic to return to Earth.
“I just informed the personnel that Kallem Expedition is over, but the guild in Sweden that had sent the party is requesting a meeting with you.”
“Why’s that?”
“They’re asking for your help, please.”
Guilds requesting a meeting with Yoo Ji-han in hopes of retrieving heroes who had not returned from other worlds.
They were so desperate that they even offered compensation, to which Yoo Ji-han nodded.
“Sure, I can’t turn down what they’re willing to give.”
That was his motto—never refuse goodwill.
*
The next day.
A joint funeral for the fallen heroes of the Kallem Expedition was held at the funeral hall near the Hero Department Seoul Branch.
All the deceased were heroes from overseas, so their families were all foreigners.
“We’ll take care of it here.”
Park Jae-kyung, who had led them until their deaths, and Yoon Do-ha, the cause of the situation, had decided to remain from start to finish during the funeral.
They were prepared to bear all external blame.
Yoo Ji-han popped into the funeral hall briefly with his party members before stepping outside.
“Yoo Ji-han! Wait, can we get an interview…”
“Is Park Jae-kyung inside?!”
“Lee Mi-a! What about the fallen heroes…”
….
As the heroes exited the funeral hall, numerous cameras surrounded them.
They were trying to capture the world’s first travelers to another world on screen.
At that moment, Watanabe, who came out with Yoo Ji-han, spoke up.
“I’m not in the mood for interviews right now, though.”
“……!”
“……!”
His slightly irritated comment caused all the reporters gathered in front of the funeral hall to gasp in unison.
In the suddenly quiet area where everyone had shut their mouths, Watanabe’s party moved together with Yoo Ji-han’s to the Hero Department Seoul Branch.
In front of them was a vehicle prepared for Watanabe’s party.
“Are you heading back to Japan?”
“I was going to rest in Korea, but it seems the mood is to rush back.”
Pressures from Japanese politicians and the Japanese Hero Department were mounting similar demands.
Watanabe found himself departing earlier than scheduled.
“I’ll make sure to treat you fabulously if you come to Japan next time.”
“That’d be an honor.”
An unexpected bond formed before the Kallem Expedition began.
How many people in this world could receive such treatment from Japan’s strongest?
“Cassandra is also looking forward to meeting you.”
“Cassandra?”
“She’s a fortune-teller, and meeting her could be helpful to you folks.”
“Hmmm…”
Yoo Ji-han covertly glanced at Kim Si-hu beside him.
“What do you think?”
“Oh, I’m definitely up for that!”
Kim Si-hu’s father, Kim Geon-oh, was currently busy with research in Japan.
With the opportunity to meet Cassandra, there was more than enough motive to visit Japan.
“I’ll get in touch soon.”
“I’ll be waiting. Hahaha!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After playfully patting Yoo Ji-han on the back, Watanabe got in the vehicle heading to the airport.
As Yoo Ji-han watched the vehicle drive away for a while, he said, “Yu-ri.”
“Yes?”
“It’s time to get ready.”
“For what?”
“We need to go see your brother who’s hospitalized.”
“……!”
It was time to resolve the wish she had longed for.