Ch.1Outside of the Blanket Is Dangerous (1)

At first, I thought it was someone’s prank.

Ten years ago, on that day when everything changed, the person looked different from my missing brother, and their behavior was completely different too.

But after going through various troublesome processes, Baek Seoha had no choice but to accept it.

This pitiful girl was indeed her brother, Baek Eunha.

At the same time, she had to receive shocking information from the doctor in charge of the examination.

“It seems… she created a self-suggestion in her memories to protect her mind in an unbearable situation.”

“……”

“She has a high level of anthropophobia, and most of her testimonies are inconsistent. She appears to be in a very unstable mental state.”

“…So that’s what happened.”

It wasn’t difficult to guess what had happened to her brother during these 10 years.

Similar cases were being reported from all around the world.

‘Returnees.’

Ten years ago, on the ‘Day of Change.’

Wanderers who were sent to other worlds by unknown forces and somehow returned to Earth without knowing how.

Based on their testimonies, the places they were sent to were completely different.

While each person’s experience was different, they all shared one common memory.

None of them had any idea why they were sent to such places or how they managed to return to Earth.

And the cases of those who returned to Earth fell into two categories.

Either they adapted to the other world and gained tremendous power, or they somehow survived but suffered terrible pain that wore down their minds in the process.

Simply put, her brother belonged to the latter category.

“I’ll… regain my… power… huh.”

Even now he was spouting nonsense about power, but seeing him hiding behind her in fear of even an old doctor, she could easily guess what he had been through.

‘Brother…’

And Baek Seoha made a decision.

What had already happened couldn’t be changed, but from now on, she would take care of this pitiful creature.

#

Lord of the Underworld.

The Terror of Amsterdam.

Commander of the Immortal Corps.

Living Death, and so on.

I, who had dozens more such titles, first felt an intense weakness after returning to Earth.

‘My power is gone.’

To be honest, I had somewhat anticipated this possibility. But when it actually happened, I couldn’t help but be shocked.

‘Damn it, can it disappear so completely without a trace?’

The power I had achieved wasn’t simply about accumulating mana to become superhuman or mastering internal energy to achieve harmony. It was something far more advanced, originating from a higher realm.

The fact that it disappeared so easily suggested that some fundamental law operating at the core of this dimension was likely at work.

‘Well, there are no monsters or gods on Earth.’

Balancing the world. From that perspective, perhaps it’s not so strange.

It took me one second to organize these thoughts.

After finishing this reflection, I was greeted by people with black hair and black eyes, whom I hadn’t seen in a very long time.

They were all staring at me with eyes that looked at something strange, and each of them had a phone in their hands.

‘So that’s the situation.’

It wasn’t hard to understand.

However, understanding what would happen next was difficult even for the Lord of Death.

Click!

Flinch!

‘W-what is this?’

Something was wrong.

The moment I faced the flash of that camera, I felt something drop deep in my chest.

And that wasn’t all.

As I properly recognized the eyes of the various people surrounding me, an unexpected agitation and fear arose.

Along with an embarrassingly cute scream that was unbecoming of a hero who had once dominated an era.

“Eek.”

Click!

Click!

“She appeared out of thin air!”

“What? Is this a filming? A hunter?”

“She’s cute!”

Cute?

Cute?

That was a word that absolutely didn’t suit me.

With emotions churning and pounding in my head, I finally properly recognized my current appearance.

“……”

And then, unable to withstand the information overload, I lost consciousness.

What happened afterward is only vaguely remembered.

Paramedics and police who came after receiving reports assessed the situation, and when I woke up, I was still not in my right mind but managed to respond to questions.

In the end, after somehow overcoming various difficulties, I met my younger sister, Seoha.

‘What kind of joke is this?’

There were three confirmed problems.

First, all my power was gone.

Second, my body had changed into a useless girl’s body.

Third, my mental state was abnormal.

Setting aside the first problem, which I had somewhat mentally prepared for, the next two were completely incomprehensible.

‘This can’t be dismissed as a minor side effect, can it?’

Serejia had certainly mentioned something about side effects, but she had also assured me there wouldn’t be any major problems.

But look at me now.

I was so terrified just by facing ordinary people that I couldn’t make eye contact or even have a proper conversation.

I had suddenly and forcibly become socially maladjusted.

“…It’s all right now, brother. Let’s go home.”

No, it’s not all right at all.

Fortunately, these artificial emotional changes didn’t occur when facing my sister Seoha, but these involuntary states were extremely unwelcome.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

I didn’t dominate an era with style alone.

I had already thought about ways to regain my lost power, and based on that, I would surely be able to shed all these absurd side effects.

Thinking this, I swallowed my shame and returned home, tightly embraced in my sister’s arms with my face buried against her.

And.

Exactly one year after the day of my return.

“Brother? Don’t tell me you stayed up all night again? Are you still sleeping?”

“Yaaawn. Yeah……”

“I’m going to a guild meeting, so get up and eat the food I prepared in the refrigerator. And do some exercise, even if it’s just inside the house.”

“Mmm……”

“And make sure you shower before I get back today. Unless you want to be forcibly washed.”

“…Okay.”

I had become a perfect hikikomori, defeated by the world.

#

Munch.

“Delicious as always.”

My daily routine lately has been extremely simple.

First, I wake up for a late lunch and eat the food Seoha prepared.

Rustle.

Rustle.

Then I grab snacks and drinks and go to my room to turn on the computer.

Since it’s summer, I turn on the air conditioner, and I wrap myself in a blanket to avoid catching a cold.

The perfect luxury.

“…If it’s too hot, I lose concentration, and if it’s too cold, my control gets dull.”

This was a crucial issue for me, as I was on the verge of reaching Grandmaster rank—a matter of great importance in my life.

After playing games, when I get hungry, I eat cup noodles or order delivery food. And when I feel tired, I watch comics or internet broadcasts.

Crunch!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Munching on potato chips, I watched the broadcast screen where a man who appeared to be a low-level awakened was testing a new technique in a training ground.

“Did you see that, everyone? This is the ‘Double Slash’ that only masters can do. Oh, perhaps you’re all seeing it for the first time?”

– What nonsense lolololol

– Are you talking about that ‘Double Slash’ that even C-rank awakened are too embarrassed to do in front of kids, sir?

– For real, my cousin who awakened recently said it was too embarrassing when I asked him to show me the Double Slash.

“That’s disappointing to hear. Not just anyone can do this, you know?”

– Well, non-awakened can’t do it, so it’s true that ‘not just anyone’ can do it

– lol true

– It must be nice to be awakened. How are non-awakened supposed to live with this frustration?

– I

– agree!

“Ahem. Anyway, it won’t be long before I remove my trainee tag and enter dungeons.”

Watching that comical scene, I also chuckled to myself and muttered:

“That’s not how you do it.”

It might be called Double Slash, but the way he’s doing it is no different from simply cutting the same spot twice. At least I had seen a much more perfected technique of the same category.

“I used to swing a sword all day because I wanted to try it too.”

Well, it might be too high a level for the awakened here who struggle to use proper techniques unless they’re provided as ‘skills’ by the system.

As I was indulging in nostalgia, that familiar sense of powerlessness returned.

“Sigh.”

What’s the point of criticizing?

I’m now a worm among worms who couldn’t even defeat that trainee hunter broadcaster.

No, that would be disrespectful to compare myself to him, as he at least earns money diligently, unlike a parasite like me.

“Whatever.”

Feeling depressed, I habitually turned on the game again.

Games are good. They’re a very convenient escape.

When I focus on them, I don’t have to think about anything outside anymore.