The Hero Returns

Act 1

Only one thought entered Su-hyeun's mind right after he first used the Palm Leaf Fan.

"Hey, this is not bad at all."

That was rather tame as far as first impressions went.

However, Su-hyeun felt quite satisfied by that much. Only a handful of items in the entire world could make him feel this way, after all.

He knew about many items in existence.

As a matter of fact, he probably knew every single "pretty good" item there is, as well as those that haven't appeared yet.

Despite that, Su-hyeun didn't have much interest in those things. His reason was pretty simple—he didn't need them.

Even after searching through the entire world, items that might make him think they were useful could be counted on one hand.

A treasure capable of raising someone else's overall ability as an awakener to the next level would be seen as a so-so item in Su-hyeun's eyes.

As such, the Palm Leaf Fan could very well be easily considered as one of the best among all the existing items after he found it "not bad at all."

On the other hand, he did feel a bit rueful about this.

"Maybe I shouldn't have gotten carried away and picked the Sage title?"

The Sage title.

Even though it was a title, it could still be used alongside another already-existing title. This reward also possessed the ability to speed up one's proficiency in the Sage Arts for which Su-hyeun was currently training.

After trying out the Palm Leaf Fan, Su-hyeun couldn't help but think back to that title. Still, he comforted himself by thinking that it was still too early to pass judgment since the fan hadn't gone through the hands of Kim Dae-ho yet.

And so, the Palm Leaf Sword was completed, but then…

—A little punk who can't even properly wield the Somersault cloud yet wishes to wield me?

The first time he tried to bring out the sword's true powers, an unknown voice suddenly invaded his hearing.

It felt similar to the time when he first heard the Somersault cloud's voice. His whole being became weightless as if he had drifted away in the incoming winds, and a refreshingly cool sensation took over him.

The whole world seemed to have come to a stop just then.

—Do you think the difference between Sun Wukong and the Bull Demon King is the same as the difference between you and me, the "Palm Leaf?"

—It is I who have taken him to the position of the Taoist god.

—That is a laughable notion. He hasn't become a Taoist god yet, and you certainly didn't play a significant role either.

—Surely, even you should know that it's only a matter of time? Besides, worry more about Sun Wukong, and…

The Somersault cloud and Palm Leaf suddenly entered Su-hyeun's mind and began fighting each other. Of course, it wasn't actual fisticuffs but more like loud bickering, but still.

Even then, the exchange seemed to have taken place in the blink of an eye from Su-hyeun's perspective. What was truly amazing to him was that despite how quick everything seemed, he could still clearly hear and understand their voices.

—Let me ask you, young punk. Do you think you can really exceed those two?

"Those two" obviously meant Sun Wukong and the Bull Demon King.

Su-hyeun estimated that the current him should be stronger than Sun Wukong but not the Bull Demon King. However, the Palm Leaf's question didn't have anything to do with who was stronger among the three of them.

No, what it meant with that question was, "who would step closer to the realm of godhood by mastering the Sage Arts?"

For sure, Su-hyeun was worse off in the Sage Arts compared to Sun Wukong. For instance, he only just managed to come to grips with seeing the "Gyeol" recently, while Sun Wukong had already been training in the Sage Arts for well over 10,000 years.

In a way, Su-hyeun had only just begun taking his first baby steps and learning to stand on his own two feet.

However…

"I will."

Su-hyeun replied with certainty at the Palm Leaf's question.

"I'll definitely reach that realm. Godhood."

The Bull Demon King once said, "One must not discard all lingering attachments. One should look to fulfill them instead."

Those words were meant for Su-hyeun.

In all honesty, he didn't care about becoming a god or whatever. If he could become one, fine. If not, that was fine as well.

However, this one thought took root in his head. If he managed to reach that realm, then he was sure of creating a different future compared to the one he lived in the previous life.

That was precisely why Su-hyeun decided to reach the godhood realm.

He would master the Sage Arts and eventually catch up to the realm that the Bull Demon King had reached.

—At least he's similar to Sun Wukong in that regard.

—He also resembles the Bull Demon King. It's as if he's a perfect 50-50 mixture of both Sun Wukong and the Bull Demon King.

—This is the reason why I've chosen him.

—I'm still not certain.

Unlike the Somersault cloud, it seemed that the Palm Leaf hadn't acknowledged Su-hyeun as its master yet.

While the Somersault cloud's personality was comparable to an unyielding and righteous old man, the Palm Leaf seemed to be quite a hothead. As such, although these two were of similar scale in their overall power, Su-hyeun needed to employ different tricks if he wanted to wield them.

It was right then that winds of massive scale suddenly whipped around the Palm Leaf Sword that Su-hyeun held in his hand.

—You wish to climb up to godhood? In that case, allow me to show it to you.

Shu-shut, shushushushu—

Whoooooosh—

With Su-hyeun as the center—no, with the Palm Leaf Sword serving as the center, a massive whirlpool of winds began blowing about.

Su-hyeun was confident of being unperturbed even at the face of a storm, yet when these winds crashed into him, he needed to strengthen his legs to withstand the pressure.

At the same time, the winds had gotten as sharp as blades and began cutting his body everywhere.

"What kind of winds are these…?!" he thought.

—Why don't you take a look from the bottom and see just how high the realm you wish to reach is?

This was the intention of the Palm Leaf.

Winds gathering on the Palm Leaf Sword began dancing wildly out of control. And simultaneously, time began moving forward again from being frozen.

Shwa-aaaaaah—

Fwhooooooosh—

All the winds gathering on the sword instantly enveloped Su-hyeun's figure. Although nothing had been said, he could already tell what the Palm Leaf's intention was.

"So, you want me to take a look, is that it?"

Su-hyeun clenched his teeth and endured the onslaught.

The sword felt heavier and heavier in his hand. To answer the Palm Leaf's intention, Su-hyeun kept enduring as power continued to accumulate on the sword.

Grrrrrk, gah-aahk—!

The Cyclops became petrified by the power gathering in Su-hyeun's sword and tried to escape from there. However, Su-hyeun couldn't care any less about that right now.

"Alright, fine. Let's take a look, shall we?"

Grit—

Su-hyeun gritted his teeth and gripped the sword even harder, ignoring his palm that was being ripped apart.

"Let me see just how high the realm you two have been talking about is."

Shu-wuwu—

Su-hyeun used his own magical energy to forcibly suppress the violent winds. He decided to go all out and see whose strength was greater.

If he hadn't acquired ninth-level magical energy, then he would have given up almost immediately. The Palm Leaf Sword's aura being emitted right now was well beyond the level Su-hyeun of the past could handle, after all.

However, he believed that the current him could definitely handle this without a problem.

Not too long after that, though, he came to realize how badly wrong he was.

* * *

Creak—

"…So, that's what happened," said Lee Ju-ho.

He was currently chatting with Su-hyeun outside the hospital, with the latter still having an IV needle stuck in his arm. Lee Ju-ho and Bak Yun-gyu formed grave expressions after listening to Su-hyeun's explanation.

"Isn't that far too dangerous in that case?" Bak Yun-gyu asked.

"I don't think it'll be, at least not anymore. That time would've been the only exception, after all. And my own stubbornness had a hand in the mess, too."

"Even if you say that…You can't be sure whether or not something similar to that will happen again, now can you?"

"Well, that is…"

Su-hyeun found himself unable to continue denying the possibility.

Without a doubt, the Palm Leaf was different from the Somersault cloud. Not only was such power sentient, but it also possessed a temper that was more volatile than that of the Somersault cloud.

Perhaps it might refuse to acknowledge Su-hyeun as its master and cause another event of similar nature in the future. However, he was quietly confident that even if the same thing happened, the end result would be different.

"It's not like I haven't gotten some idea on how to wield it since I did experience it first-hand," Su-hyeun thought.

Not only that, but he also acknowledged his mistakes.

"If I protected my body with the Somersault cloud, then I wouldn't be this injured."

Su-hyeun poured all of his powers in controlling the Palm Leaf Sword. He didn't even think for one second about using either the Somersault cloud or even deploying his protective skills such as "Indomitable Body."

He had been stubborn.

He wanted to confirm just how much of the Palm Leaf he could control by himself.

If he hadn't been stubborn like that, then he would not have been injured this badly.

"I'll have to control it somehow."

"What do you mean, somehow? Isn't it too dan—?"

"You ain't gonna listen even if we say otherwise, right?"

Even before Bak Yun-gyu could finish, Lee Ju-ho cut in with a comparatively calm-sounding voice.

Su-hyeun nodded as if it was par for the course. Lee Ju-ho muttered, "I knew it," and spat out a lengthy groan.

"You know, I've never met a guy who doesn't listen as much as you. Should I chalk that one up to your stubborn streak?"

"Well, I saw its potential, that's why."

"And the potential was that incredible?"

"Not sure how far your imagination can stretch, but it should easily exceed that, big bro. Because that's what happened to me."

"If it exceeded your expectation, then well, it'd be the same for me, I guess."

Su-hyeun's standards were indeed high. Regular people wouldn't even be able to imagine how high his standards as the world's best awakener were when talking about various items.

Not to forget, Lee Ju-ho was one of only a few people who got to observe Su-hyeun from his side for a long time. Even then, he barely had any idea on the level of the effects that all the items or skills Su-hyeun currently possessed.

Yet someone like that said this item, this sword, easily exceeded his common sense. And even though he knew he couldn't wield it properly yet, he was being obstinate about it.

Su-hyeun was wiser than anyone else in such matters, to begin with, so he came to the conclusion that he must risk the dangers in order to make this sword his no matter what.

Lee Ju-ho asked something else next. "Okay, so. You say you want to challenge the 100th floor soon?"

"Yes."

"Everyone says it's the mother of all hurdles out there. But you aren't thinking of lowering the difficulty at all, are you?"

Lee Ju-ho's question prompted yet another confident nod from Su-hyeun. The latter suddenly grinned awkwardly after thinking that his replies were causing much anxiety in the others.

"Why are you smiling, anyway? Especially so when you're in this situation. We're talking about your life here, after all."

"You're right."

"Since things have come to this, you should just hurry up and do it. I won't try to stop you anymore."

Su-hyeun faintly smiled at Lee Ju-ho's declaration.

Unlike Bak Yun-gyu, Lee Ju-ho didn't seem all that anxious, and it was because of Su-hyeun's expression.

"He doesn't look gloomy, at least," Lee Ju-ho thought.

For a heavily injured guy, Su-hyeun's expression was noticeably bright. That was not the face of a man filled with ever-present anxiety or worries but more like a little kid with his heart pounding with excitement.

And this would be Lee Ju-ho's first time witnessing such a face.

"Did he discover some kind of a possibility or something?"

Su-hyeun thought a lot and often. On top of that, the level of his anxiety and worries were easily several times greater than other people.

He always worried about the things yet to happen and felt concerned about the future. That's why he burned himself out rushing forward all the time while constantly being tortured by his worries.

Lee Ju-ho never mentioned these things, but that's what his observations had told him.

However, something seemed different about Su-hyeun now. More correctly, this change happened after he finished the 60th floor's trial. Lee Ju-ho didn't know what happened in there, but that expression belonged to a man who found hope amid all the despair.

"Thanks, bro."

And Lee Ju-ho's thoughts were rather on point.

"I'll definitely come back alive."

Just like what Lee Ju-ho said just now, Su-hyeun's expression was indeed bright despite their discussion involving the topic of his survival.

That expression couldn't have been forced. Su-hyeun really had discovered hope.

That day, Su-hyeun remained admitted to the hospital and received medical attention from the awakeners. And thanks to the care of these people capable of completely curing critical patients in a single day, he was able to leave feeling as good as his normal condition.

However, due to his severe blood loss, he needed to pay attention to his physical condition for a while.

After a few days of rest, Su-hyeun began practicing controlling the Palm Leaf Sword.

The Palm Leaf hadn't said anything since that incident. It was the same thing for the Somersault cloud.

Once it stopped talking, the Palm Leaf, which was seemingly cursed with a personality of an unshackled raging bull, became a bit calmer overall. Su-hyeun couldn't sense the level of power that the sword exhibited on the first day, but he still managed to succeed in getting more or less familiar with it.

And so, 10 days later, Su-hyeun got ready to challenge the 100th floor.