Heo Sungshik was quite surprised as he stepped outside his house. Association President Lee Manshik had come to personally greet him.

He had received a message asking him to inform them of his departure time. He thought they were merely checking the schedule, but he hadn’t expected Lee Manshik to come in person.

"I didn’t expect you to come all the way here yourself."

"Haha, it just so happens that my route to the airport is in the same direction. Also, it's customary for high-ranking superhumans like yourself to receive proper formalities."

Ultimately, Lee Manshik was saying that he had personally come to provide Sungshik with the proper honors. No matter how he looked at it, the weight of the title "Association President" was significant, yet seeing Lee Manshik step forward so willingly made Sungshik once again realize how high he had climbed.

And truthfully, from Lee Manshik's perspective, this was also an opportunity to establish a closer relationship with Sungshik. That was why he had gladly taken the initiative.

Such was the nature of an Association President in a minor Hyper-Sense country. They were desperately in need of a powerful superhuman, so they had to go out of their way like this. Considering that, Sungshik found himself thinking that Lee Manshik's position was rather pitiful for someone leading an Association of superhumans.

— Normally, people who hold such positions have their heads stuck in the clouds no matter how dire their circumstances, but this guy seems to have the right attitude.

‘Agreed.’

Even Heaven-Splitter regarded Lee Manshik’s attitude favorably.

Sungshik, too, had felt disgusted by many so-called leaders in his past life. That was why Lee Manshik’s approach felt refreshing.

With that, Sungshik and Lee Manshik headed to Incheon Airport. There, Sungshik met Kang Hanil, Seo Haneul, and other top-ranked superhumans in the country. The Korean Association's delegation for S30 this year totaled ten members.

S30 was an annual gathering, and this was its third session since its founding.

Normally, only a handful of representatives attended to discuss agenda items, including the Association President and a few select members. However, this time, the large-scale gate suppression efforts in China required actual combat power.

As a result, the delegation consisted of the strongest fighters available, totaling ten people.

"Fancy meeting you here again, Sungshik."

"I didn’t think we’d see each other so soon. We’ve been running into each other a lot lately."

Kang Hanil, Seo Haneul, and other acquaintances welcomed Sungshik warmly.

The Korean representatives attending S30 this year were in relatively high spirits. In previous years, Korea had barely managed to secure a spot in S30 as one of the weakest participants. However, with Kang Hanil reaching 6-star+ rank and Sungshik achieving 7-star rank, their collective pride had risen.

Especially with a 7-star superhuman among them, they knew that, at the very least, they wouldn’t be outmatched in raw power at this year’s S30 conference. With that confidence, they boarded the plane bound for Beijing, China.

— So this is what they call an airplane. Truly astonishing.

‘Is it really that fascinating?’

— Of course. I can somewhat grasp the mechanics of a car, but I can’t begin to understand how this works. That such a massive heap of metal can soar through the air… It is truly marvelous.

To Sungshik, airplanes were a common means of travel. But for Heaven-Splitter, who was experiencing advanced science for the first time, it was understandable that this would feel novel and extraordinary.

‘To be honest, I haven’t been on many flights myself, so I still find it fascinating when I’m up in the air.’

After the Gate Break, flying monsters had started roaming the skies, making air travel too dangerous. Additionally, most airports and aviation infrastructure had been destroyed, rendering planes unusable.

As a result, Sungshik had only flown once before the Gate Break occurred.

— What a shame that such a remarkable means of transport would disappear.

Hearing that planes ceased to exist after the Gate Break, Heaven-Splitter seemed genuinely disappointed.

After a short two-hour flight, the Korean Hyper-Sense Association arrived in Beijing.

The cityscape was filled with towering skyscrapers. That was Sungshik’s first impression of the Chinese capital.

It was actually Sungshik’s first time seeing Beijing intact. After the Gate Break, Beijing had been ravaged, swarmed with monstrous creatures. The version of Beijing he remembered was nothing more than a ruined, monster-infested wasteland.

‘So this is how developed Beijing actually was…’

The disparity between his past memories and the current reality fascinated him. He found himself continuously looking around in amazement.

"This must be your first time in Beijing."

Lee Manshik noticed Sungshik’s reaction and spoke with a smile.

"Ah, yes. Well… I suppose you could say that."

Sungshik hesitated slightly, feeling like he must have looked like a country bumpkin in Manshik’s eyes.

‘Tch, he probably thinks I’m some clueless outsider.’

— Kehaha, judging by his expression, he’s looking at you the way people look at clueless newcomers visiting the big city for the first time.

‘Well, at least I didn’t gawk at the airplane like you did.’

— What did you just say? Back in my day…!

Bantering with Heaven-Splitter, Sungshik eventually arrived at the building where the S30 meeting was being held.

It was an enormous skyscraper nearly a hundred stories tall. As they followed the guide inside, Sungshik could sense the presence of several strong individuals.

— Oh-ho, quite a few of them have decent energy. Most of them are at least on par with that Kang Hanil fellow.

That made sense. These presences likely belonged to superhumans from various associations attending S30. Given that most of them were around 6-star rank, it was natural for Heaven-Splitter to perceive them as formidable.

Creak.

As the Korean delegation entered the hall, many eyes turned toward them. However, after a brief glance, the other attendees quickly lost interest and looked away. Some even showed subtle signs of disregard.

‘Hmm… This is basically indifference.’

— Indeed. I can see it in their expressions. They don’t even consider you worth their attention. Ha.

Heo Sungshik once again felt the position of the Korean Superhuman Association in the world in this situation.

‘Interesting.’

Although he didn’t have great affection for his homeland, he found it somewhat amusing to be in this situation. The other Korean superhumans seemed accustomed to it and didn’t show much concern. They simply followed the guide's instructions and completed the S30 attendance check.

Heo Sungshik scanned his surroundings from his assigned seat. His eyes gleamed as he recognized a few familiar faces. They were individuals who exuded particularly strong auras.

‘The future 11 Thrones.’

That’s right. No less than five individuals who would be revered as the 11 Thrones in the future were present.

The Battle Demon, Jeon-gwi Kunthera. The Holy Knight of Dawn, Quellin. The Flame King, Tsarden. The Elemental Master, Jenny.

And the one with the strongest presence here—the Sword Emperor, Hak Ilcheon.

―Oh-ho, so that man is the Sword Emperor. Hmm, he certainly is worthy of the title. If he were unworthy, I would have demanded that his title be stripped away immediately.

Heaven-Splitter spoke in admiration as he observed the Sword Emperor.

Indeed, the Sword Emperor was recognized alongside the Martial Emperor as the strongest superhuman in the future. His reputation was not undeserved.

‘That Sword Emperor and the Martial Emperor were the two most powerful superhumans in the future. They were unmatched even among the 11 Thrones.’

―Impressive. Honestly, even in all my years awake, I can count on one hand the individuals with such talent.

Heaven-Splitter rarely gave such praise.

‘But how can you always tell so much just by looking?’

―Hmph, do you think they call me the Divine Sword for nothing? Especially when it comes to measuring the vessel of one's spirit and body, I pride myself on being the best. That man possesses a talent rarely seen even throughout history.

At Heaven-Splitter’s high praise, Heo Sungshik's eyes widened slightly.

‘Oh, that much? Hmm, I wonder how the Martial Emperor compares. Too bad he didn’t attend this time.’

―Oh-ho, I’d like to see this Martial Emperor who is said to rival him. Honestly, I thought there was no one in this world worth anything besides you, but I was mistaken. No matter the era, exceptional individuals always emerge.

At that moment, Heo Sungshik, who had been glancing at the Sword Emperor, met his gaze.

The man appeared to be in his late 30s, a refined and handsome middle-aged figure. His facial features were delicate, giving him a gentle appearance, but his eyes shone sharply—an expression befitting a great general.

‘Hmph.’

Not backing down from that intense gaze, Heo Sungshik stared right back.

Suddenly, the Sword Emperor’s eyes curved into crescents, and he revealed an amused expression. It was as if he had sensed something special from Heo Sungshik. Then, he nodded slightly in greeting.

Surprised, Heo Sungshik reflexively nodded back.

―His intuition seems quite sharp.

‘It does.’

Seeing this, both Heaven-Splitter and Heo Sungshik felt as if they had made an interesting discovery. Unlike the Martial Emperor before his regression, Heo Sungshik had hardly had any opportunities to see the Sword Emperor in person, making his curiosity about him grow even more.

He was about to take the initiative to approach and speak. However, too many other superhumans continued to gather around the Sword Emperor, preventing him from finding an opportunity.

‘What an overwhelming spotlight.’

Unlike the nearly indifferent Korean group, a great deal of attention was focused on the Sword Emperor and the other members of the 11 Thrones. They were already forming their own exclusive circles, while weaker nations, including Korea, were left on the sidelines.

Not all of the world's strongest and most famous superhumans had attended. Even the Martial Emperor appeared to be absent, along with several other members of the 11 Thrones and other well-known figures.

After all, the S30 was a diplomatic summit, and its purpose wasn’t necessarily to gather the strongest individuals.

However, due to the recent large-scale gate outbreak in China, many powerful superhumans had chosen to attend. Each association seemed to have sent at least ten representatives, and as more arrived, the total number soon exceeded three hundred.

Someone joked that with this many people, they could take over the world. Everyone chuckled, but it wasn’t an impossible thought. The assembled superhumans were truly extraordinary, which was why the media had taken such a strong interest in the summit.

Thus, the first day ended after the attendance check. Since people had gathered from all over the world, the first day was reserved for rest. The real discussions would begin on the second day.

The second day's S30 summit began around 10 AM. The main topic of discussion was the recent surge in gate occurrences.

Everyone could feel that gates were appearing more frequently. More than that, the statistical data clearly showed the sharp increase in their occurrence.

“I believe we should be vigilant about this issue. If this trend continues, it could lead to a massive global gate outbreak.”

“That’s still too speculative. While the frequency of gates has increased, we don’t yet have any significant data proving a correlation between this and a gate rampage.”

“That may be true, but if you look at the post written by ‘Returner’ on the superhuman community, it presents a highly credible argument. The next document is a compiled report based on his post. Please review it.”

Two words mentioned during the meeting immediately caught Heo Sungshik’s attention—the superhuman community’s ‘Returner.’

It was enough to snap him out of his mild boredom.

“Wait, why is my username being mentioned here?”

That’s right. The superhuman community’s ‘Returner’ was none other than Heo Sungshik’s username.