Chapter 78: Heart-pounding returnee orientation! (2)

“Let me ask you this, why aren’t you flying? You can fly, can’t you?”

The elf, despite being a slave, dared to point out her master’s weakness.

“Oh, before I got my wings yesterday?”

“Yeah, but it sounded like you already had ordinary angel wings before that, right?”

Well, I do.

If I were to spread them out, one of them would be a pure white angel wing.

But honestly, just having white wings is a bit underwhelming.

“Oh, that’s a separate issue. They didn’t quite fit me. I didn’t like them.”

As I said before, ordinary angel wings feel kind of rough, almost like paper wings taped together.

That’s the best way to describe it—just a bit ‘meh.’

“You called that fried chicken lady over for that?”

“What do you mean, ‘just that’? In a life-or-death situation, trying to fly with wings I wasn’t comfortable with wouldn’t have worked.”

If I had spread those angel wings and flown at that moment, I probably wouldn’t have been able to keep my balance.

“So, you’re just not used to it? Lack of skill?”

“Yeah. In that other world, there wasn’t really a need to fly, so I never practiced. I liked the idea of having wings more than actually flying.”

The only reason I’d ever need to fly was to escape from that cursed hero’s party and get a little freedom.

That’s about it.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“Do you still not spread your wings now?”

“I never went crazy for flying in the first place! What I want is this, to show off my wings and halo, and say, ‘I’m on a whole different level than you all, ha-ha!’ That’s it.”

It’s just for the authority and status it gives me.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“Is that why you ripped off those angel wings?”

“A collecting habit?”

“Wow, your personality’s something else. Ow!”

The elf clicked her tongue in disapproval, so I flicked her on the forehead.

Not long after, we arrived at the orientation hosted by the Bureau, where all kinds of returnees were gathered.

The venue was packed with all sorts of characters—non-human species, martial artists straight out of a wuxia novel, and even older people wearing ancient armor.

There were plenty of people with strong character designs.

Come to think of it, the returnees were told to wear the clothes they used in their respective worlds, making their character traits stand out more.

“Hmm, there are quite a few humans here, too.”

“I told you so, didn’t I?”

They just don’t hang out in the same online communities.

Then again, people that age probably have no reason to check forums.

“What about that woman over there, sweating buckets?”

There was someone who looked like they were drenched, with a blue hue and hair that looked more like tentacles.

Just by looking, I could tell she was some kind of slime.

“That’s probably a ‘Sorrowful Slime,’ right?”

“The ratio of women here seems pretty high.”

At least from the returnees I know, the women seem to outnumber the men.

Honestly, I feel like pouring some soju into that slime.

Would she get drunk?

“No, no. Solinderman and the revolutionary guy are men.”

Just by hearing the names, it’s obvious they’re guys, right?

“What do Solinderman and the revolutionary guy look like?”

“Don’t you get it just by looking?”

There’s a guy with tentacles wriggling all over his body, and a tall man with a red armband on his coat.

Both seem a bit intimidating.

I don’t feel like talking to them just yet; I’d rather observe from the back.

“Wow, impressive. Those martial artists are something.”

“There are others from the martial world, aside from the Cheonma. Most of them are men, too. Plus, there are figures from Korean history who changed the course of events. They’re part of the so-called ‘Alternate History Faction.’”

“Ooooh.”

“For example, there’s a guy who was originally a doctor but beat Heo Jun to become the royal physician. Although, he’s the only one saying that, so who knows if it’s true.”

That could be pretty entertaining.

“There are also people who changed history during the Three Kingdoms or Goryeo periods.”

I watched a group of muscular, older men talking among themselves, boasting about their past exploits.

“Wow, they’re all up there in age.”

“There’s also a guy who was a freedom fighter in the late Joseon period and another who was born as a Japanese soldier during that time.”

The elf pointed to two men fighting in the distance.

“You bastard! Did you torment Koreans or not?”

“This idiot keeps yapping. Ugh, I can’t stop my mouth. Anyway, I supported the independence movement, you moron! Why do you flip out every time we meet? Is your memory going already?”

“Did you just call me a Korean bastard? You’re dead today. I’m the guy who invented the improved bomb!”

“What? So, you’re the one who killed me? If dying wasn’t my return condition, I’d have been gone then. You’re finished.”

What a mess.

It’s best to stay away from them.

“Actually, those people come from parallel worlds, so they’re not even connected to the history of our Earth. Even the country names were slightly different.”

“I guess it’s better not to dig too deep into their histories.”

“Yeah, pretty much. It’s like different factions here.”

As I watched, I could see them bickering over who had it better.

Personally, I think it’s best to avoid getting involved with them.

Looking over, it seems like the martial artists are also gathering into their own groups.

“There don’t seem to be as many returnees as I expected.”

“A lot of people died outside the safe zones, and many didn’t even make it here. Basically, some crossed over but died quickly.”

“Got it. Makes sense now.”

I’ve pretty much understood the situation of the returnees.

“Oh, what’s that?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? It’s a centaur. You can clearly tell just by looking.”

There’s a huge horse-like creature in front of the hall.

It looks like it could do deliveries well, half-human, half-horse.

The only issue is…

“Oh, it’s definitely big, but…”

“But what?”

“Why is it literally a wooden horse?”

It seriously looks like it’s made of wood.

I can even see what looks like bark on the outside.

No, it looks more like a children’s toy.

“Oh, but it’s not some kind of kid’s toy. Maybe a pixie played a trick on it? At least, the last time I saw it, it looked like a horse.”

Ah, of course, it’s a pixie’s doing.

Their tricks never cease to amaze.

“Does that guy even have reproductive abilities?”

He sure doesn’t look like he does.

“He’s been castrated.”

“Oh, what’s that?”

As we moved forward, we came across a strange combination.

There are two women whose hands look like mannequins, and a man in a suit with an invisible body.

One of the mannequin-like women has pale skin and no visible emotions.

I can just tell by looking at her.

“She’s from the 24th century. Doesn’t she look like an android?”

“Yes, but what about the other two?”

There’s another mannequin-like figure, but her color is a bit different.

“One of them is a wooden puppet. She was originally a magic puppet made by a puppeteer, but a Korean person got possessed by her.”

The wooden puppet has strings attached above her head.

“Wow, this is really something. So, what about the other one?”

“He’s an invisible man. And he’s a guy, too.”

Hmm, looks like there are around a couple hundred people here.

“There seem to be more women in this world or the non-human group, and more men in the alternate history and martial arts group.”

“Yeah, and…”

Crack!

A lightning bolt struck the center of the hall, and then a blonde angel with glowing wings and a shining halo appeared.

“Hey, you bastards! Shut up!”

The angel who made such a grand entrance immediately started cursing.

“That bastard is the fallen angel who owns the gallery, Neiphir.”

“Ohhh.”

She fits the image of an angel perfectly.

She looks a lot like the one who got wrecked by me.

Blonde hair, pretty face, and even a glowing halo!

Her appearance is even better than those angels I beat up.

“Ugh, that woman’s been shouting since earlier. Hey, do you know who I am?”

“When the adults are talking, don’t be rude.”

The martial artists and alternate history guys are sizing her up, pointing fingers, but the angel doesn’t back down an inch.

“I’m over five hundred years old, you bastards! You’re the rude ones, turning into wrinkly old men over time!”

Wow, hitting them with those facts like that might not be the best approach.

“Isn’t she a grandma then? Looking at what she’s wearing, I thought she was some young chick.”

“At that age, she is a grandma. And this grandma is walking around half-naked. Shh, we should listen to our elders.”

The angel really messed up by revealing her age.

“Hey! At this seminar, I’m supposed to keep you guys quiet, so listen to me, you lowlifes!”

Wow, the gallery owner is like the top delinquent in charge of alternate history here.

I’d better step back.

Picking a fight with the angel can wait till later.

Since we were told to show our traits, I put on a black angel halo and slightly displayed my wings, moving over to the otherworld faction.

This way, I look more like an angel than a saintess.

But still, it’d be weird to wear just a nun’s outfit when everyone else is flaunting their unique traits.

“Hm?”

But then the original angel’s gaze landed on me.

“What?”

“No way, this bitch?”

Suddenly, her face twisted into a look of disgust as she stared at me, as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.

She glanced at my halo and slowly looked me up and down.

That gaze was seriously irritating.

“Why are you calling me a bitch right from the start?”

“Hey, what the hell is this look?”

The fallen angel stormed over and grabbed my wing.

“Why?”

“You look like you’re from the same angel clan as me, but damn, what’s with that old-fashioned halo and six black wings?”

“Excuse me?”

She kept scanning me from head to toe with a very unpleasant look in her eyes.

Should I smash her skull?

No matter which world she’s from, she’s an angel of the same rank as me, and yet this bitch is acting all high and mighty.

What’s your gallery nickname, huh?

“HeadSmasherSaint.”

“What the hell? If you’re a saintess, act like one. What’s with that halo and those wings? Hey, do you even know that a saintess ranks below an angel?”

I was just playing around with the angel concept for a bit, but this fallen angel seems unexpectedly serious about it.

Looks like this isn’t something I can mess around with lightly.

Judging by her personality, she’s a tough one.

-This angel is really strong. She’s a close-combat type, and her abilities are a bad match for you, my faithful. You’d probably get hit first, and if you end up shattering her skull, you might blow up half of Seoul in the process.

“Hmm, then should I just not fight? I’m not some messed-up person with a bad personality. I don’t see the need to fight and take a hit for no reason. I’m a civilized person, so I’ll hold back.”

“So angels are on a much higher level, huh?”

“Hmm, I guess I could go with the concept of being a saintess who was originally an angel.”

“Hey, you might end up causing a bloodbath, you know?”

The elf whispered to the gallery owner.

That’s too much.

Turning me into someone who creates bloodbaths.

“Hey, you, pointy ears, shut up. What bloodbath are you talking about?”

Exactly.

The angels are talking, and some pointy-eared pedestrian dares to butt in.

“Po-pointy ears?”

The elf looked shocked and crumbled.

“Hold on. I’m an angel too, you know. This is a bit much.”

“No, it’s because you’re an angel. Look at this show-off with her black wings and halo.”

Oh, look at that envious, jealous look.

Seems like I won’t need to fight after all.

If it’s just jealousy, I can let it slide.

No need to crack any skulls.

-No, I said don’t fight!

I puffed out my chest proudly and boasted.

“Hmph. Well, I do look pretty cool, don’t I?”

“Wow, do you groom your wings yourself?”

“If you ask my god, you could go black too, Fallen One. But I groom mine on my own.”

Not that grooming matters since I can retract them anyway.

“Never mind. I can’t go with anyone but my god.”

The fallen angel shook her head.

“Sigh, fine. Just sit quietly for now. See those gallery guys? Go hang out over there.”

“Okay.”

As soon as the angel appeared, the gallery crowd gathered in one place.

The elf and I ended up blending into the group.

We sat down among some familiar faces, and Battle mage leaned in, pointing at the angel still arguing with the alternate faction.

“I didn’t think you’d just let that slide, knowing your personality.”

Battle Mage, you know me too well.

“Oh, that’s because she’s jealous. You know, the victor should always be generous to the loser.”

“That’s more like you.”

I looked around, and sure enough, the gallery crowd that had been scattered was now gathered, whispering so the angel wouldn’t hear.

Especially the argument between the young girl and the wooden horse—it was like a comedy show.