[Best] Let’s Thoroughly Investigate the Identity of '[EX] Returner'

It was a post discussing none other than his own identity.

The moment he saw the post, Sungshik felt a sense of doubt.

‘Did I leave behind any clues that could identify me?’

After reviewing his memory, the answer was ‘No.’ The only things he had posted on the superhuman community were tips and strategy guides, along with a few comments agreeing that the frequency of gate occurrences was increasing.

Curious, Sungshik clicked on the post.

Title: Let’s Thoroughly Investigate the Identity of '[EX] Returner'

[EX] Returner, who is he? He appeared like a comet one day, posting guides and strategy tips for low-rank superhumans, quickly rising to fame. From this, the author was able to pinpoint his general location.

Specifically, the gate terrain strategies he introduced and the monsters that appeared there... (omitted) ...based on this, there is a very high probability that he is a superhuman from the Northeast Asia region, where such appearances are most frequent.

• └ Wow, solid analysis. Makes sense.
• └ Returner must be freaking out seeing this.
• └ For real, lol.
• └ But if it's Northeast Asia, does that mean he's from China?
• └ If it's China, that's such a letdown. The Sword Emperor is also from China.
• └ So China has two EX-rankers now? Whoa, continental class!
• └ Sword Emperor vs. Returner, who’s the top sword in China?
• └ Has Returner even used a sword?
• └ There’s a post in the tips section where he says, “Since I’m a swordsman, I’ll explain from a swordsman’s perspective.”
• └ Oh. lol.

After reading the post, Sungshik was taken aback.

There were indeed specific dungeon terrains and monster types that frequently appeared in certain regions. Just as the author mentioned, Sungshik had unconsciously focused on dungeons that were common in his area when writing his guides.

The posts he had written were primarily about dungeons and monsters that frequently appeared in Northeast Asia (Korea, China, Japan, etc.).

Since the system community displayed all posts in the language the user was most comfortable with, the only way to determine someone’s nationality was through indirect clues like these.

‘Impressive.’

Of course, it wasn’t as if anything would change even if his identity were revealed. But if it were to be made public, he wanted to do it on his own terms. Having someone else expose him was out of the question.

People were speculating that, if he was from Northeast Asia, he must be Chinese. Since the Sword Emperor was Chinese, some were even comparing him to the Sword Emperor.

‘Sword Emperor, Hak Ilcheon.’

He was an incredible man. Even among the 11 thrones, he was considered one of the absolute strongest.

He and the Martial Emperor were regarded as the two top fighters in the world.

[EX Rank] Lord of the Sword, [S Rank] Sword Emperor.

The Sword Emperor was one of only two known EX-rank trait holders in the world, along with the Martial Emperor. His trait, ‘Lord of the Sword,’ was linked to a transcendent entity once known as the Sword God.

The Sword God, when he ascended, had demonstrated swordsmanship so overwhelming that it felt as if a single swing could split the world. Just recalling that breathtaking scene sent chills down Sungshik’s spine.

Sungshik imagined it—if his current self at 8-Star were to fight the Sword Emperor at 8-Star.

‘I can handle it. No, I’d win.’

Yes. He, too, possessed an [EX] rank trait—Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts. And even though both were [EX] rank, the fundamental nature of their power was different.

‘In the end, he only borrows the power of a transcendent entity.’

No matter how incredible it was, borrowing power was still just that—borrowing. At the level of an 8-Star, such differences would become even more pronounced.

‘The Martial God’s [EX Rank] Martial God's Blessing was also a trait linked to a transcendent entity.’

That was why even the Martial God likely felt the limitations of that path. He must have regretted not choosing Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts, which was rumored to be an [EX Rank] martial art.

Sungshik let out a smirk—he found it amusing that he was now having these kinds of thoughts. He truly had come a long way.

Before logging out of the superhuman community, he left a simple comment.

└ ^^

Neither confirming nor denying anything—just a mere emoticon. He didn’t mind if people mistook him for a Chinese superhuman.

But as they say, interpretations are often stronger than facts. Because Sungshik didn’t deny it, more and more people began assuming that he really was Chinese.

And that assumption remained in place until the day that incident occurred.

Afterward, Sungshik was hunting alone in the Snake Zone, a B+ rank gate in Gangwon Province, gathering coins.

Since B+ rank gates were recommended for 5-Star+ superhumans, they were largely deserted. There weren’t many 5-Star+ superhumans to begin with, and Snake Zone wasn’t particularly lucrative. It was humid, and the snakes that lurked within relied on ambush tactics, making them a hassle to deal with.

However, those difficulties didn’t apply to Sungshik.

Swish!

Slice.

―Ding! You have slain the boss, King Snake!

The 5-Star+ grade boss was cleaved apart in a single strike from (Heaven-Splitting) Wind Scar. To Sungshik, B+ rank gates were now nothing more than post-meal exercise.

“This is so easy it’s making me yawn.”

―Is there any meaning in doing this?

Heaven-Splitter spoke as he observed. It was a fair question. Although this was a B+ rank gate, it no longer contributed to Sungshik’s growth in any way.

To gain experience, one had to engage in life-or-death battles against foes of at least equal or greater strength. Right now, all Sungshik was doing was warming up—nothing more, nothing less.

“What can I do? I’ve got nowhere else to go. Might as well collect some coins.”

It wasn’t like Sungshik wanted to be stuck here either. It was just that his growth speed was so ridiculous that the current pace of gate occurrences couldn’t keep up with him.

“Well, it’s not like I’m the only one stuck in a rut. Most of the 11 thrones who reached 7-Star are probably in the same situation.”

He was right. The only thing he could do was refine and polish his abilities.

“And this is just the calm before the storm.”

Before long, A rank and A+ rank gates would start appearing in rapid succession. Shortly after that, the ‘Gate Break’ would occur.

Gates would continuously emerge at an alarming rate. And soon, there would come a time when the very concept of ‘gates as dungeons’ would disappear—gates would immediately start spewing monsters the moment they formed.

‘When that time comes…’

The horrors of the past resurfaced in his mind. The collapse of national governments, the loss of over half of humanity’s land to monsters.

At the same time, rarely occurring gates beyond S-Rank began to appear

And within them, ultra-high-grade monsters, worthy of being called the tyrants of their respective regions, started to emerge.

Apocalypse. A world on the brink of destruction—such a description would no longer seem out of place.

‘Regrettable, but I cannot stop it.’

Even after returning, Sungshik had agonized over whether he could prevent the Gate Break. But no matter how he looked at it, there was no answer. Even now, having grown stronger than he initially expected, the conclusion remained the same.

‘No, even if I’ve reached 8-Star, it’s still impossible.’

He could perhaps protect a single region, but stopping the Gate Break occurring across the entire world with just his own strength? That was an absurd notion.

Thus, he abandoned the idea of stopping it and instead resolved to focus even more on his growth.

‘In the end, they’re all just experience points.’

The bottleneck currently hindering his growth would soon vanish along with the Gate Break. When he had studied the secret techniques of Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts, it had taken more than a decade—even longer—in that illusory world to advance from 7-Star to 8-Star. But now, the Gate Break would allow him to shorten that time drastically.

‘This is the power of the system, the greatest advantage of being a superhuman.’

And that wasn’t all.

‘The collapse of national governments…’

That meant no one would be left to manage the museums storing relics with dormant traits.

‘Heh.’

It was the perfect opportunity to do something he had only ever considered in passing—pillaging traits.

―Rather than recklessly collecting more traits, focusing on refining the ones you already have is the shortest path to enlightenment.

“That’s true.”

Heaven-Splitter had a point. But wasn’t it better to have more traits than none at all? Even the most useless trait could prove valuable at some point.

Besides, Sungshik already had enough understanding. What he needed was the training of his essence and energy. From that perspective, securing more traits would only be beneficial, never a disadvantage.

And so, his plan now included raiding museums.

Zap.

As he stepped out of the gate, Sungshik’s senses tingled with warning.

Thanks to his Hyper-Sense trait, he could confidently say that his perception was sharper than anyone else’s. And now, he had detected a faint hint of hostility directed at him.

It was so subtle that even with Hyper-Sense, he might have missed it had he not been paying attention.

‘Someone is here.’

Sungshik turned his head toward the source of the hostility.

At the entrance of the rocky mountain where the Snake Zone was located, a short distance away, a man sat atop a large boulder.

“Oh, as expected, you’re impressive.”

The man let out a murmur of admiration.

He was a middle-aged man with a ruggedly masculine face and long hair.

“…Who are you?”

“Hahaha, that’s a meaningless question. You already have an idea where I’m from, don’t you?”

At the man’s words, Sungshik nodded.

“Revolutionary Knights.”

“That’s right. You know well. Then you must also know why I’m here.”

Nod.

Sungshik silently nodded again.

The man’s strength was unusual. He was nothing like Li Xiaoguang—Sungshik could tell that this man had fully reached 7-Star.

“No wonder Xiaoguang lost.”

Seeing Sungshik’s flawless stance and overwhelming presence, the middle-aged man let out a short remark of admiration.

His tone carried an air of superiority, as if he considered Xiaoguang beneath him. That meant Sungshik had to assume this opponent was far stronger than Xiaoguang.

―Good. This opponent is no pushover. He’s just what you need to snap you out of your complacency.

Heaven-Splitter had also sensed the man’s extraordinary strength.

―If you don’t give it your all, you’ll suffer. This one is qualitatively different from that Xiaoguang fellow you fought last time.

Even without Heaven-Splitter’s words, Sungshik already felt it.

The moment his opponent shifted into battle mode, an intense aura burst forth—it was the same sensation he had when he first encountered the 11 thrones.

Such a wild and overwhelming energy.

“How long do you intend to just stand there? If you won’t come, I’ll go to you.”

Whoosh.

The air around the man seemed to twist as if a storm was brewing.

“Tch.”

His sudden charge was so fast that it seemed as though he had folded space itself.

In the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance.

Boom!

Slide—

Sungshik blocked the man’s punch with Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword, but the force sent him skidding backward.

The sheer speed was terrifying, and the destructive power was by no means below his own.

‘Strong.’

―He is strong.

Both Sungshik and Heaven-Splitter reached the same conclusion simultaneously.

‘This guy… maybe he’s not just 7-Star…’

The thought crossed his mind that this opponent might be close to 7-Star+, but there was no time to dwell on it.

The man’s relentless assault gave him no room to think.

Soon, Sungshik was pushed into the defensive.

―Focus on reading his flow.

Following Heaven-Splitter’s advice, Sungshik tried to grasp the opponent’s flow, but it was difficult.

The man’s aura flickered and shifted unpredictably, making it impossible to pin down.

‘He’s at a higher level than me.’

Sungshik acknowledged it.

The fact that even Heaven-Splitter Eyes couldn’t fully analyze him meant that the man was on a higher plane.

‘No wonder he came alone. He had that much confidence.’

Indeed. While Li Xiaoguang had been an incomplete 7-Star, he was still 7-Star. The fact that this man had come alone to confront someone who had defeated Xiaoguang spoke volumes about his self-assurance.

He realized he had been careless. He should have attacked first. Having grown accustomed to defeating his enemies with ease, he had allowed his mindset to grow lax—just as Heaven-Splitter had pointed out.

As the man threw another punch, Sungshik used the power of Insight to erect an ice wall and create distance.

Crack—

The ice wall shattered effortlessly.

Despite pouring a significant amount of energy into it, it was destroyed too easily.

―This is bad.

‘Yeah.’

The difference in power was clear.

Sungshik hadn’t used his full strength yet, but neither had his opponent. In just a brief exchange, he had been completely overpowered.

Finally, he activated Insight to analyze the man.

Insight.

Name: Sa Docheon

Rank: 7-Star+ (★★★★★★★☆)

Traits: ?

‘Tch.’

As expected.

The man before him was a 7-Star+. A warrior clearly stronger than Sungshik.