I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 600

"I’ll be getting off at the same place as you two in a few years..."

"Alright, hurry up. But don’t spend all your savings. You know how Dice has been living lately, right?"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Don’t play innocent. You were singing about eating at my place until your bonus came in."

• Laughter
• Dice’s characteristic: Actually, he's a fool.
• "Do you not know what ‘savings’ means?"
• The little ones are trying so hard to catch up with the Big Biyam.
• This is love, for real.

It was already January 3rd in Korea, at Incheon International Airport.

Unlike the US, Korea’s cold wave hadn’t lifted at all, and as soon as I arrived, a sharp, cold wind hit me. The ten of us who got off the private jet had to endure the brutal winds. After that, we were faced with a mass of reporters at the gate.

Anyway, to be honest, this year, everyone performed beyond expectations. Harmony, who managed to get into the top 5 in the world’s most battle-experienced list after 1 year and 4 months; Dice, who took first place in the finals and proudly returned to his homeland; Michael, who ranked 5th for the first time; Gambit, who made it to the top 10; and Summit, who made it to the top 15.

At this point, monopolizing might even attract anti-trust laws.

"Ugh, I’m dying. Good thing I came out a bit late."

"I took a quick glance earlier, and it looked like they set up a press conference right in Incheon. Thanks to that, I managed to sneak out and have a coffee nearby."

"You’ve learned how to make good use of your time. It would have been boring just waiting. We’ve been through this last year, so it wasn’t much of a problem for us, but it must have been different for you all."

"Last year... I watched it on TV. Hehe."

I realized that was true.

Anyway, just as Harmony said earlier, Dice and I were getting off at the same spot. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing. We entered through the same gate, took the same elevator, and walked the same hallway on the top floor. The only difference was that when I opened the door to my house, Dice would turn right.

As long as he doesn’t say anything like, "I’ll just stay at your place for a while," there wouldn’t be much of a problem.

Having said that, maybe that will happen, but hey, Dice was the protagonist of the world today. He’d earned first place in the finals, so I should give him the motivation he deserves.

We cut through the cold wind and headed to a completely separate parking spot from the public one. Waiting there was a large bus and a Centenario. The bus was heading to the north of the city, and the other was the one I’d called ahead.

Sadly, it was time to part ways with Harmony. Of course, this was the same for Kato and Harmony’s acquaintances. In fact, only Dice and I were heading to Gangnam, so this was possible.

The car was a New Year's gift from my parents. Really, it was insane.

"Get in. Let’s go for a drive."

"Drive? At 7 PM?"

"That’s what I mean."

• What car is that? LOL
• Typical Dice behavior
• Why is only he having fun??? Always getting entertained by the dice???? Why not me???
• If you’re mad, come on and join the Big Biyam
• Is the Biyam tail a lottery or something? LMAO

The car's door rose skyward, and seats that were positioned lower than usual came out. The car’s height was lower than normal.

It had a new carbon-style paint job, but since I had driven this before, there was space for the tail in the driver's seat. I liked that too. No, it was natural, I guess.

The last time I had someone with a manifestation riding, and now Dice was in it. She smiled absently, and I returned the favor by revving the engine, sending a loud roar into the air. The roar reverberated. I’d wanted to do this at least once.

As the people heading to the bus for the north were loading their personal items, I skillfully drove the car out first.

"It’ll be a bit slow, but that’s fine, right?"

"I’m not feeling sick or anything, so it’s fine. We can chat along the way."

"In that case, no problem. Let’s go."

Vroom!

In an instant, the car began to exit Incheon Airport. The wild, hard-to-handle car moved as it pleased, sharply turning corners as it entered the road leading from Yeongjong Island to Incheon. As expected, the timing wasn’t great, so the thrilling driving didn’t last long.

Well, it didn’t matter. Of course, the drone cam had long been turned off for safety, and now, the only thing left was talking with Dice as we drove.

Despite that, I was sure that with only the two of us, some topic would inevitably come up...

"So, really, you’re not coming with us from this year on?"

"Well, it’s not exactly certain. But I don’t plan on guiding you all this year. Actually, I didn’t really teach enthusiastically last year either, but anyway, that’s not the main thing... I believe you know what I mean."

"...That’s true. Actually, thanks to you, Eugene, I’ve had it really easy. In the past, I had to predict what strategy the enemies would use, think about how to counter them... On the other hand, now, my body’s tired, but my mind’s at ease. I just had to do what you told me."

"Are you ready to go back to those times?"

"...Well, what can I do if I’m not ready? Whether I’m ready or not, the wave will eventually come."

Well, I’m glad I didn’t teach recklessly.

I placed my hand over Dice’s, and she shyly intertwined her fingers with mine. Since it was on autopilot, there wasn’t any problem.

After a while, our hands separated, and the car gradually moved past Incheon, heading into Gangnam. At this time, no matter which road you took to or from Seoul, it was like an artery clogged with arteriosclerosis, so I didn’t expect much.

After that, only small talk continued. Talking about what to have for dinner, the upcoming performance bonuses and salaries, and how her wallet would get full again, as well as how much she liked the bracelet I gave her, and so on.

About an hour later, after struggling through the congested streets of Gangnam, we finally arrived at the house.

We parked in the designated spot in the basement of my penthouse. Since Dice lived next door, the parking lot was adjacent.

"Hehe..."

I sometimes get scared by her.

Anyway, after finishing parking, I scanned the elevator code from the phone’s dedicated application, and the elevator smoothly ascended. I stared blankly at the floors going up.

It had been a long time since I had arrived home. With all the places I’ve been, my attachment to home was fading. Anyway, with such useless thoughts, I parted ways with Dice... for now.

I opened the door with a click and was about to savor the familiar scent of home when...

• Notification: Emergency situation release detected. Icarus Gear energy level fixed to <Alpha>.

• Notification: Synchronizing device location with Icarus... Unable to locate the device.

• Notification: Energy level restriction... Failure. Please find a nearby engineer to resolve the issue.

"...Emergency situation release."

So it’s finally here.

I thought it was about time, and I quickly sent Dice a message saying something trivial had come up before activating the Gate app.

After a brief synchronization of timelines, I opened the door and crossed the world line.

"You’re late, kid."

"I came as quickly as I could. I came here before I even unpacked at home."

"Alright, alright. Hurry up and sit down."

It wasn’t exactly a long time since I had last seen Central Park.

The surroundings hadn’t changed. I’d heard that once the situation improved, they planned to relocate, but it’s already been 6 years since I’ve been here.

With that thought crossing my mind, I spoke up about the reason I came here today.

"I heard the emergency situation has been lifted. So, there’s no need to operate the Icarus Gear anymore, right?"

"Ah, that. I was just about to explain that, so before you ask, let me explain first."

"Alright."

They speak like that, so what else can I do?

I sat in the lounge chair, and the Dagger Team briefly manipulated the Icarus Gear. They showed me that the energy restriction was still marked as Lambda. I didn’t quite understand what it meant, but since they were about to explain it, I just blinked and waited.

The first to speak up was Owens.

"Most of the existing task forces have been disbanded or reorganized, and most will be taking on roles as instructors to train special forces. We’re the same."

"So here’s the issue. Why do you think we’re still maintaining Lambda-level energy and haven’t disbanded as a team, even though the emergency situation has been lifted?"

"...Because the world still needs the intact Dagger Team?"

"Correct."

As expected, that was the case.

As soon as those key words were thrown out, my mind began to work quickly. Maintaining the Lambda level means I can still use all the benefits and skills the Icarus Gear provides. That also means physical enhancements are still included.

Moreover, the reason the team hasn’t disbanded and still holds on to the instructor role is... what else could it be? It means we’ll be responsible for training advanced operators who can create a second or third Dagger Team.

Since my acquaintances and seniors didn’t give any further explanations, I spoke up while sitting down, and after a while, everyone nodded and added their thoughts.

"As expected from the kid who understands quickly after one explanation. It’s nice having a smart one around."

"...But I won’t be able to work as an instructor, right? Am I an exception?"

"You’re not wrong when you say that, but that doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly go down to an Alpha-level energy restriction. There’s actually a separate reason why you need to stay in this position."

"I don’t really understand that part. What is it?"

Shark didn’t answer my question directly but popped up a message, and in that moment, I understood everything.

Shadows.

The users who had contributed greatly during the West Coast offensive and had been repeatedly deployed whenever large-scale battles that were hard to handle by the U.S. military occurred—those at the center, like me, were still allowed to use the Icarus Gear without any output restrictions.

Then, just as I thought about it, the next words followed.

"Of course, we’re not relying solely on those mysterious guys. What you’re doing is a sort of... game, and it might not align with the situation here. But it’s better to keep a little uncertainty than let go of everything entirely."

"...I see. I understand."

"Good, then."

At that moment, everyone stood up, and we quietly left.

Outside, the Mecha newcomers were all waiting. As we walked through Central Park, it felt like the already crowded neighborhood had become even narrower due to all the buildings and materials around.

But aside from that, the conversation continued.

"Do you know what kind of trouble Gray House is dealing with lately?"

"What is it?"

"Housing problems."

"Ah."

At that moment, I felt a sharp pain in my head.

It couldn’t be helped. Manhattan and New York City were, frankly, huge cities, but most of the infrastructure had been destroyed, and unless society was functioning properly, all the surrounding buildings were just empty shells.

Those places—financial advisors, restaurants, bookstores, language schools, lawyer offices, hospitals, and countless other services for humans—were now just empty, their reason for existence gone.

And on top of that, they were huge, occupying a lot of space.

That’s why Central Park, which had been nothing more than an empty park, could now create something new.

"It’s full of buildings, and there must be a lot of empty homes, so people could probably move in, but... there are still so many problems that can't be solved by that alone."

"The Housing and Urban Development Department is working day and night on plans, but aside from a few things, not much has been confirmed."

"A few things?"

"Like relocating civilians living in Central Park to nearby areas."

"...Is that possible?"

"I’m not sure. There’s a lot to prepare."

Well, I wasn’t really worried about it beyond that.

Moreover, Central Park HQ isn’t exactly a great place for civilians to live. Think about living next to a military base that's always on alert. There are always lights flashing, people walking around, and occasionally, military vehicles, heavy equipment, and drones moving around.

They’ve set up noise barriers, but ultimately, this place wasn’t really a place to live long-term. It’s one of the last safe zones in the world that won’t fall easily, which is why we’ve been able to live here for six years.

Anyway, I just hope it works out.

After that, my friends and seniors, the Dagger Team, went around telling me how the world would change and how Central Park would change too.

At least New York would be rebuilt around this area, and to do that, they’d need to streamline and improve hardware and software efficiently. In short, the harsh restructuring of the HQ had begun.

Starting with the Upper West Side and Upper East Side of Central Park, they would gradually regain functionality, overhaul transportation networks, repair subways for faster movement, and even build a maglev airport over the Hudson River.

In about 5 years, we wouldn’t even know what was what.

After about 10 minutes of reminiscing, the Mecha newcomers following us spoke up again.

"So, exactly... what happened in the past? I’ve seen the battle footage from the past few years, but what exactly happened that caused humanity’s territories to shrink this much?"

"Well, can’t you just search for it now on the network?"

"That’s not what we’re asking."

Everyone stopped at once, and Lane boldly added:

"We want to hear your perspective—how the glorious past fell, what you and the owner fought through to get here."

"..."

"I know it’s rude, but after hearing the speech from the president on December 31st last year, I wanted to ask. How did the world fall apart? What struggles did everyone go through in between?"

"To be honest, thanks to the archetype, I’ve learned a lot about how lively the previous world was. I’ve been to places like Disney World and Dark Zone Town."

But even though it seemed like they were talking to everyone, the Mecha newcomers’ gazes were clearly directed at me.

"..."

Yeah. I have to talk about it now.

The painful memories from back then.

The times that shone so brightly because they were so painful.

But thinking about it, maybe this is the time to share those grand records with them.

I opened my mouth.

"Alright. But it’s not a story that can be told in a day or two, so everyone better brace yourselves."

"Kid."

"...Well, it might be a bit much for others, but for me..."

A brief silence.

And then I spoke.

"I think I can finally tell you."

The silence continued.

But then, the people in front of me didn’t say anything. They just smiled lightly, looked at me, then ruffled my hair, patted my shoulder, or gently patted my back.

When I realized that this was a sign of approval, I looked at the eager Mecha newcomers and mischievously smiled.

I opened my mouth.

"But I’ve already made a promise, so you’ll have to wait a bit. About an hour. That’s okay, right?"

"Eh, wait a minute. Didn’t you say you’d tell us right now?"

"I can tell you. But I never said I’d tell you right away."

"Haha! Our kid is really messing with the Mecha newbies!"

"This is unfair, Archetype!"

Of course, they didn’t take it well, and sadly, I couldn’t ignore the angry messages from Dice, full of exclamation marks.

I quickly made a Gate to the nearby door and added:

"Then, I’ll have dinner and come back. See you later."

"Wait, you’re leaving us hanging like this?!"

"Ugh, I’m so mad, but I can’t do anything about it..."

"I guess our Mecha newbies need to work on their patience."

And with that, the door slammed shut, and I finally returned to my familiar home in Cheongdam-dong.

Well...

"While having dinner, I’ll have to think about where to start telling them."

What should I say?

It looks like it’s going to be a really long story.

Really.

"…So, you just left them like that?"

"Yep, just as you see."

"…It’s completely different from when I first came here."

Meanwhile, in the opposite world.

The members of the Dagger Team, who had been watching the frustrated Mecha newcomers, burst into laughter. They patted the three Mecha units that seemed ready to explode and headed into the lounge.

"So, is there anyone here who wants to give more explanation before the kid comes back? The one who first met the kid?"

"Surprisingly, it’s just me here. Olivia’s probably holed up somewhere."

"I can’t believe I’m stuck explaining things to this fool. The world’s truly come to an end."

Of course, even though Eugene had left, the story wasn’t over.

It didn’t take long for the box, which held the six years’ worth of accumulated memories, to open.