#192
Settler (3)
“…Come to think of it, I have mentioned something like that before, right? Hehe, I guess back then you thought it was a joke.”
After briefly stiffening, Chehai soon broke into a hearty laugh and shook his head.
As if he had never been flustered at all, a faint smile reminiscing the past appeared on his face.
“…I’m sorry for casually discussing your story with others. But I swear I didn’t take it lightly. This is a matter of significant importance. It might greatly help in facing the Undead King.”
“Hmm? The Undead King…”
“I’m only talking about the people here. I would appreciate it if you could answer honestly, Chehai.”
At Geos’s earnest words, Chehai’s gaze shifted back to the people in the reception room.
Though they were now quietly living just taking care of children, there was a time when he had earned a certain reputation on the blood-soaked battlefield.
It was not difficult to read the aura of strength that leaked out from them.
‘A special task force formed to directly confront the Undead King… right?’
From the widely known saint of the Holy Church Order to the fierce-looking barbarian who wouldn’t seem great for the children’s emotions, a little girl who looked about the age of the slightly older kids in the orphanage, and…
His gaze lingered momentarily on Hesperon.
Wondering if he had misunderstood something.
‘…A third-rate wizard? No, that can’t be. Then is he an assassin who hid his energy? Indeed, that would make more sense. Impressive skills.’
But as he was trying to convince himself alone, Hesperon noticed his gaze and grinned as he stepped forward again.
“It seems like you’re having a hard time answering, so let me introduce myself again. I am the Awakened One, Ha Seung-hoon, from Korea on Earth!”
And then, nonchalantly, he began to repeat his introduction.
“I plan to go by Hesperon in Auterica. Alternatively, you can just call me Heron! I think it’s been just over two months since I came here. Hahaha!”
Chehai, taken aback by his sudden behavior, could only blink before looking around at those seated in the reception room.
The heroes still looked at him with serious expressions.
“Haah—.”
It seemed he could no longer avoid the situation.
With a light sigh, he slowly opened his mouth.
“Korea? Korea… I think I’ve heard of it. They say Korean cars are quite good, right?”
In truth, it was acknowledging where he was from.
Geos nodded heavily, his eyes sparkling as he leaned slightly towards Chehai.
“I see, Chehai, you are also from the same dimension as Heron.”
“Yeah. I wonder if that guy knows, but I’m from Ethiopia.”
“Oh! I know that! It’s a country in Africa, right? Next to Somalia.”
“Oh? You have quite the knowledge. Hearing that rotten place’s name after so long is quite comforting… a rather strange feeling.”
Ethiopia, located in the eastern part of the African continent.
Though it was a considerable distance from Korea, it was not entirely unfamiliar due to diplomatic relations.
It was relatively known as the origin of coffee, so it was fairly recognized by people.
“…As for how long I’ve been here… Well, I can’t remember exactly.”
He momentarily stopped talking, pondering something while stroking his beard, before nodding and continuing.
“Anyway, it seems like it’s been well over 30 years. It can’t have reached 40 yet, though.”
“…Is that so? Quite long indeed.”
While Geos merely nodded in admiration, for the other otherworlders present, that was not something to take lightly.
‘Oh, over 30 years, huh?’
In truth, the longer one could stay adjusted in the transmitted world, the more advantageous it was.
Just like in Chehai’s case, where despite spending 30 years, only about 3 years had passed on Earth, and if he decided to settle down, wouldn’t the aging following Earth time multiply the lifespan tenfold?
Moreover, with the growth correction only granted in that world, it would be possible to become a monster after training for several decades and return.
If something dangerous occurred during the process, one could just escape before it hit.
‘But there hasn’t been anyone who has spent over 20 years on Earth.’
It wasn’t just unknown; truly, there hadn’t been a single person so far.
And the reason was probably…
“Excuse me, Chehai? I’d like to ask you something.”
Hesperon carefully addressed the clearly elderly-looking black man with white-streaked hair and wrinkles starting to form.
“Can you currently use the system?”
“Ahem, I see you’ve caught on. …It’s been a while since I lost that ability.”
This was precisely why those who had stayed in the otherworld for extended periods were called ‘Settlers.’
Since they couldn’t use the system, they couldn’t open the Karma shop, and naturally couldn’t return to Earth, thus were compelled to live in that world for life.
“Hmm, so it was true. Well, it’s something that’s been somewhat known on Earth, but it’s all indirectly conveyed, so it lacks credibility.”
This moment, meeting someone firsthand, was a great opportunity to gather genuine information.
While the external reason for coming to him was to find useful means to confront the Undead King.
His true intention was to gather more diverse information about the system and Awakened Ones through the Settler.
‘No matter what, information is the best weapon. The more I have, the better it is to use what I possess effectively.’
On top of that, he was an irregular entity within the system itself.
Given that situation, it was only natural to pay extra attention.
“Chehai, if you don’t mind, could you elaborate a bit more? It might lead to important clues hidden in seemingly trivial stories. If you could do that, it would be a great help to both Heron and us.”
To facilitate smooth information gathering, Heinrich, the highest authority present, directly asked him for a favor.
With Geos and others urging him nonstop, they eventually got him to agree.
“Hehe, well, it’s all in the past now, so it doesn’t really matter. But who knows how helpful it could be.”
In the end, Chehai had no choice but to raise his hands and start sharing his story.
He pondered for a brief moment on where to begin, then started with a light cough and briefly explained his past.
“Ahem, I don’t know if you know this friend named Heron. My hometown wasn’t exactly a pleasant place to live.”
Even Korea, which used to be globally renowned for its safety, had become a mess.
There was no need to elaborate on the situation in Ethiopia, located in Africa.
The government was barely managing to protect the capital, Addis Ababa, naturally losing control over the provinces.
As a result, various crime organizations began to rise like mushrooms after rain…
Chehai had lost his family in the process and had become an orphan.
Of course, that was not something particularly special in that place; it was just a common misfortune one could see anywhere.
“However, in such chaos, there were limited means for a child to survive.”
The method he chose was to become a lackey for criminal organizations, begging for their mercy.
For over a decade, he became a member of that organization, solely wishing to survive.
But unexpectedly, a sudden change came to his daily life…
At just over 20 years old, he was chosen by the system and awakened.
“Huhuhuh, but that new ability I gained wouldn’t let me sit still.”
Chehai chuckled softly while continuing his story.
His awakened unique skill was “Phase Refraction.”
It was a handy ability that allowed manipulation of localized space.
And with no way back, he used the 24 hours given to him very wisely.
By neatly obliterating the higher-ups of the crime organization he had been a part of.
That organization, almost akin to a local warlord, had plenty of guns and bombs stored away, and Chehai’s ability was optimal for stealing them and using them for terror.
In simple terms, the act was often referred to as ‘pre-transport awakening terror.’
“Well, back then, my proficiency was low, and I lacked time, so I only managed to eliminate a few of the ones above me. After that, I moved to a quiet place in the chaos and was soon able to take refuge in Auterica.”
In truth, he had given up on returning to Earth from that point on.
No matter how he would return, he would just face vengeance from the remaining organization.
After that, he lived an eventful life as a mercenary in this world.
Since he had no intention of returning, all the karma he gathered was invested in strengthening himself, and thus he managed to survive for over ten years without a scratch.
“Then, by chance, I came to this village and fell in love with my current wife. I had enough savings by then, so getting married wasn’t a problem at all.”
“Wait? Chehai, you’re married?”
“Of course! Would I have lived alone until this age?”
Chehai replied curtly to Hesperon, who asked in surprise.
And watching silently, Geos began to mutter under his breath, a faint smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.
“…I also met her in this village. Back then, I thought she was my age.”
“Huhuhuh, for a few years after that, you, Geos, looked older than me, didn’t you? Hmm, speaking of which, I should mention that.”
Chuckling quietly as he stroked his beard, Chehai turned his gaze back to Hesperon and continued speaking in a much more serious tone.
“It was probably around 20 years after coming to Auterica. One day, I instinctively felt it. If I didn’t return to Earth immediately, I would never be able to go back again.”
But even from the start, he had no intention of returning, and he didn’t have any karma left, so he forcibly ignored that instinct.
Then.
“Not long after that… I lost the ability to use the system.”
Moreover, the change didn’t end there.
Immediately after losing the system, rapid aging struck him.
As if all the years that had been postponed had come rushing in at once.
Having maintained the appearance of being in his twenties even beyond forty years of age, he turned into a middle-aged person who looked older than his actual age in about a year.
“Of course, even in that situation, I was fortunate that other abilities and stats still remained. I started to delve deeply into my unique skill. I hadn’t realized, but the sense of loss from the system disappearing was greater than I thought.”
But.
Ten years later.
When over 30 years had passed since he was transmitted to this world—
He lost all abilities as an Awakened One.
The purely unique skill “Phase Refraction,” along with all the other skills he had collected and the stats he had enhanced through karma, were all gone.
“…”
“…”
Having said that, Chehai quietly closed his eyes.
As he sealed his lips, a sudden silence engulfed the reception room, only faint breaths resonating softly.
‘He not only lost the system and shop but also experienced the constraints of aging, and later, skills and stats too?’
At this point, it seemed he had effectively lost even the ‘growth correction’ that should have been granted in this world.
All benefits of being an Awakened One had vanished, leaving him as nothing more than a ‘Settler’ or native of this world.
‘Could it be that karma was forcibly reclaimed?’
Normally, when returning to Earth through ‘return’ of the karma shop, one would also have to return the system and shop.
But he had never heard of skills and stats being reset, even in that case…
‘Is this the difference between Returnees and Settlers? Good information gained.’
This was unheard-of information on Earth.
Just as Hesperon was satisfying himself with such a lucrative gain and slowly nodding his head.
“Yet, it’s not as if I gained absolutely nothing.”
Opening his previously closed eyes, Chehai flashed a grin at him.
Then, raising one hand slowly, he swung it toward the air.
Zzaak—
“Ugh?!”
At the same time, Hesperon jumped in surprise, grabbing his back.
It was undoubtedly the unique skill he mentioned, “Phase Refraction,” which he had seen several times through Geos.
“…You said your abilities had disappeared…?”
“Of course, my unique skill has gone. This is a vision I created by researching it while incorporating the manipulation of aura.”
While it had become incomparably inferior to when he possessed “Phase Refraction,” its usefulness was already validated by Geos several times.
It was enough for a pure aura user, who had yet to reach transcendence, to attack beyond space.
‘Could it be that he analyzed his unique skill to create this…’
“You mentioned you gained your unique skill not long ago, right?”
“Yes, yes…”
“I have spent over thirty years using my abilities, and even after the system’s disappearance, over ten years obsessively digging into it.”
Each of his words carried more weight than before, perhaps because Hesperon had just been impressed by his talent.
With hands clasped politely, Hesperon listened attentively.
Even Isea, who was sitting in a chair at one side of the reception room, was similarly focused, pretending not to care but still straining her ears so as not to miss a word.
“A unique skill is not merely an ability given at random. It is deeply connected to the individual in one way or another. The problem is, no one knows exactly how—sometimes even the individual themselves.”
Having finished his statement, he raised the corners of his mouth into a stunning smile.
“Since the abilities differ, I’m unsure how helpful it will be, but I’ll gradually share the basic know-hows. It won’t be too bad, I believe. Hehehe.”
Chehai erupted into a confident laugh.
Somehow, from behind him, it seemed as if a level of halo unrecognized even by Heinrich was radiating.
*
And less than a day after receiving his guidance.
《Your unique skill has grown, unlocking new potentials. The number of avatars you can possess has increased.》
