Player Who Returned 10,000 Years Later - Chapter 5 - Player Who Returned 10,000 Years Later Oku

“It’s okay, I’ll make some quick money and buy us a nice house.”

He had already mapped out their future happy life together.

The door opened.

— Mom, I’m home!

‘Mom?’ Of course, Kang Yu’s disillusioned mind had thought she was living alone.

That’s why his face was expressing his extreme disappointment right now.

An exhausted middle-aged woman rushed to meet them.

— Is everything okay? Did you hurt yourself?

— It’s okay.

— You have company with you, just like I told you to, right?

— Ah… yes, of course… — said Han Sol, tugging at her sleeves and avoiding meeting her mother’s expectant eyes. Then, she looked at Kang Yu and explained in a hurry:

— This is Kang Yu, and we met at the Dungeon. I was in a dangerous situation because of a monster attack, but Kang Yu saved me.

— Oh, thank you, Kang Yu! — The middle-aged woman grabbed Kang Yu’s hands and bowed her head gratefully.

He sensed that the woman was very worried about her daughter, who ‘travels’ all the time.

‘Shit.’ Kang Yu was listening now, but couldn’t hear the woman’s gratitude.

‘So, she really was only calling me for lunch,’ Kang Yu thought, looking at Han Sol.

The future that Kang Yu had planned in his head was shattered.

He was in the mood to climb to the top of the mountain and then throw himself down.

— Kang Yu…

— Oh, yeah. I was just thinking. — He quickly turned his attention back to reality.

No one had promised him anything, but he still felt cheated, and despair clouded his mind.

— Our house… it’s not very nice, as you can see. But don’t worry, our food is great. — Han Sol, looking at the grim face of the guy, thought he was disappointed with their place of residence.

— Ah, don’t worry, that’s not why I’m like this. — Before going to Hell, Kang Yu had been a lonely orphan, and lived in a small room that looked much worse than her house.

There had been days when it was difficult to even get food.

‘But still better than Hell.’ In fact, living on Earth, even if you are hungry, is much better than living in Hell among constant battles, in which you constantly risk your life.

— Please, come in, Kang Yu.

— Sorry, our modest home is not often visited by guests. — The guy was warmly welcomed and invited to come in.

The size of the house was about 20 pyeong.

(P.P.: the measure of land area; 1 pyeong = 3.3 square meters).

Compared to its shabby appearance, the size was quite decent.

— Kang Yu, wait a moment. I’ll get everything ready quickly.

— Would it be all right if I asked you for a favor?

— Yes, of course. — Han Sol’s expression turned serious and nodded affirmatively.

Kang Yu continued in a calm voice:

— I lost my phone. Can I use quickly yours?

— Ah, of course! — She took the smartphone out of her pocket and gave it to Kang Yu.

The phone looked very old, and there was a thick crack on the screen. Kang Yu recognized the phone model.

‘Even though five years have passed…’ he thought to himself, convinced that the girl really wasn’t in the best position.

‘But can I scroll through the news on the Internet on it?’ He needed to figure out what had happened to Earth in five years.

The Gate and the Players. That’s something that wasn’t exactly on the Earth he was used to.

Kang Yu found the articles from five years ago and began reading them carefully.

[Sharp changes 22.02.2018. Earth changes in an unrecognizable direction]

[Riots caused by a large number of gates all over the Earth]

[Monsters call for reinforcements. Defenders army brutally murdered]

[America urgently offers to unite all countries.] [Korea has become the 9th country to join the alliance]

[The first Players appeared in America. Who are they?]

[A sharp increase in Players all over the planet. Are they the hope of humanity?]

[Are romances becoming a reality? The Players had appeared in Korean novels over a decade ago. A large number of novels, at the request of “The Player”]

— Hmm… — Kang Yu, leisurely looking through the articles, frowned.

February 22, 2018, is the day that the Gate appeared all over the world. And also the day that he’d walked through the black gate to Hell.

So I just walked into one of the many gates. If you think about it, it was probably true.

Kang Yu looked for information about his gate, but there was no detailed description of the gate on the Internet.

‘Then I’ll look again.’

If it threatened national security, the information probably wouldn’t be available online.

Once everything was prepared, he should go to the state authorities.

— What are you looking for so diligently? — Han Sol, who was busy cooking, approached him for a while.

— I had to make sure of something, so I flipped through the news.

— Should I cook lunch later then?

— No, I’m good. Let’s eat.

He generally understood the big picture. He was glad that, unlike Hell, he could move around on his own and learn more about the changed Earth.

— Everything is ready, wait a little longer. — Han Sol returned from the kitchen with a deep pot. — Kimchi jjigae. I would give you a plate, but alas. —

With a guilty expression on her face, she put the pot on the table and opened the lid.

The fragrance instantly flew all over the room, causing him to drool at the dish immediately.

Kang Yu stared at the kimchi jjigae. Pleasant thoughts filled his head.

— Kimchi… jjigae… — He kept staring at the pot, or rather, at its contents.

The broth bubbled temptingly, the red kimchi was fragrant, and the pieces of meat on top seduced the boy.

— Kimchi jjigae!!!

Kang Yu had waited so long for this moment that his heart beat faster with excitement.

This was what he’d been dreaming about for ten thousand years every day.

He leaned sharply toward the table like a tramp who had been hungry for weeks.

‘It’s good to be back.’

A warm tear rolled down his cheek.