Chapter 1

Sizzle.

Eggs were frying in the pan.

A girl was busy preparing breakfast. She wore an apron over her school uniform, and her black hair, which was neither too long nor too short, swayed gently as she worked. Despite not being fully mature, she had a face prettier than most celebrities.

Once done, she took off her apron and stood in front of a door in the living room.

“

Hooo.

” She took a short, deep breath before knocking twice on the door.

But there was no response.

The girl opened the door softly and stared at the man in his mid-twenties, who seemed to be sleeping soundly.

“It’s time to wake up, Father,” she called softly.

She moved closer, brought her lips close to his ear, and whispered, “You might be late.”

Thump!

The man quickly sat up and nodded with an awkward smile.

“R-right,” he replied.

The girl smiled sweetly, closed the door, and returned to the living room.

Left alone, Lee Do-Jun let out a long sigh and thought of the Dad Contract.

It all happened two months ago.

***

Year 2020.

Ten years had passed since the appearance of the first Fissure on the once-peaceful Earth.

Monsters appeared, and Hunters who could exterminate these monsters emerged in response.

Every person in the world obtained a Status Window through which they could objectively see their physical abilities.

“Status Window,” Do-Jun called out.

Name: Lee Do-Jun

Level: 999

Title: Heavenly Demon

Strength: 999

Agility: 999

Stamina: 999

Internal Energy: 999

Skills: Pocket Watch (SSS), Heavenly Demon Cultivation Art (SS), Indestructible (S), Poison Immunity (S), Formless Sword (S), Sword Summon (S), Qi Circulation (D), Qi Barrier (B), Telepathy (D), Samadhi Fire (B), Pressure Point (C), One with the Blade (A)

After completing his military service and three years of studies, Lee Do-Jun passed the civil service exam to earn a spot as a technical civil servant in the Fissure Management Division. At twenty-five, he joined as the youngest member of the Seoul City Hall Fissure Management Unit.

A year later, he was finally assigned a personal Hunter, though it was for an F-rank Fissure.

However, just the day before his first Fissure exploration, he was hit by a truck.

It happened suddenly. Do-Jun was heading toward the F-rank Fissure in Gangdong-gu. While on the crosswalk, he was hit by a semi-truck and lost consciousness. And just like that, Do-Jun crossed over to the so-called Martial World, where he acquired a unique skill: Pocket Watch.

He died countless times in the Martial World, and by using Pocket Watch—which returned him to the day before he died—he came back to life again and again.

He finally became the strongest being in the Central Plains, known as Heavenly Demon.

And then, he returned to Earth.

Ding.

As the hospital’s automatic door opened, Do-Jun inhaled a breath of fresh, outside air before taking out his smartphone.

January 18, 2020.

“I-if you feel any discomfort, please come back,” said a doctor in a white coat and glasses from beyond the automatic door.

Do-Jun simply nodded and stepped outside.

While studying the charts in her hands, the nurse standing beside the doctor murmured incredulously, “How can a person who was in such a state yesterday be perfectly fine today...?”

When Do-Jun was brought to the emergency room, his condition was dire.

A major surgery lasting seventeen hours barely managed to keep him alive, and the chance of him regaining consciousness was less than ten percent.

But despite all that, after just a single day, all his internal and external injuries healed as if they had never been there.

Equally clueless, the doctor replied, “How should I know?”

***

Do-Jun sent a message to Kang Cheol-Soo, the section chief of the Fissure Exploration Unit he belonged to.

Do-Jun: Chief, I have been discharged.

It had only been a day since he returned from the Central Plains to Korea.

His memories of living in Korea had turned hazy, and adapting back to work would require significant effort. On top of that, he could still live a comfortable life even if he stopped working as a civil servant. Yet despite all of that, Do-Jun decided to continue living as one.

This time, I want to live an ordinary life,

Do-Jun vowed

.

In the Central Plains, his hands were stained with blood.

He experienced terrible betrayals and reached a point where he could hardly trust anyone.

He even considered retreating to a mountain to live in seclusion, but after living through an extremely long period, he concluded that nothing was better than an ordinary life.

Ring, ring.

His smartphone rang, and the screen displayed: Section Head Kang Cheol-Soo.

Beep.

Do-Jun answered immediately.

“Hello?”

—Kiddo! Are you awake? A-are you alright? And what’s this about being discharged?

“Yes, I’m awake. I’m perfectly fine now, so the doctor said I could be discharged.”

Do-Jun’s words were met with a moment of silence before a loud voice came booming through the receiver.

—Who the hell are you, you bastard?! This is some sick joke, isn’t it?

In response to the yelling, Do-Jun frowned and pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment, then sighed and brought it back to his ear.

Cheol-Soo’s reaction was entirely normal.

After all, it would be strange if someone who seemed like they could die at any moment said they were perfectly fine the following morning.

“Section Chief, it really is me. I’m coming to the office now.”

—No, I-I’ll come pick you up!

“There is no need for that. I’ll be there within twenty minutes if I get a taxi, so don’t worry about it,” Do-Jun replied firmly.

—Wait a second, you sonova—

Beep.

Do-Jun hung up and walked to the main road to wait for a taxi. Cheol-Soo kept calling, but he chose not to answer.

Finally, he got a text.

Cheol-Soo: Stay there. I’ll come and get you.

Do-Jun: I’m already on my way, Chief.

Cheol-Soo: Hah. You seem different. Anyway, fine, get your butt over here ASAP!

Do-Jun: Yes, understood.

Do-Jun put his smartphone in his pocket and muttered, “I’ve changed, huh...”

For him, it had been such a long time that he couldn’t even remember how he used to be.

Was he outgoing or quiet? What were people’s impressions of him?

Do-Jun quickly flagged down an approaching taxi.

“Seoul City Hall, please.”

The taxi driver nodded and started driving. Shortly after, an alert sounded inside the taxi.

“Sir, you need to fasten your seatbelt,” the driver told Do-Jun.

“Seatbelt? Oh.”

Do-Jun pulled the seatbelt from the passenger side and fastened it.

Then he took out his smartphone again and scrolled through his contacts.

Family (1)

Friends (0)

Work (11)

Others (2)

“I guess I didn’t have any friends...” Do-Jun muttered as he clicked on the tab labeled “Family,” displaying a contact labeled “

Brother.

”

“Ah, but I did have a brother?” Do-Jun muttered with narrowed eyes.

Try as he might, he couldn’t remember his brother’s name, but he was sure of one thing.

I don’t think he was a good person,

Do-Jun thought

.

He felt no attachment whatsoever for his brother. Instead, he could actually feel a slight anger welling up from within.

Do-Jun took a deep breath and called his brother.

—The number you have dialed is not in service....

He tried calling again, only to be met with the same automated message.

It seemed his brother had changed his number.

This time, he clicked on the “Others” tab, and two phone numbers appeared.

[Bae Yoo-Jin]

[Seol Yoon-Hee]

“I have no idea who these people are,” Do-Jun said with a sigh.

He had no recollection of who Bae Yoo-Jin or Seol Yoon-Hee could be. However, seeing that he vaguely remembered some of the office people in the “Work” tab, it seemed that these two didn’t have much importance in his life.

“We’re here, sir,” the taxi driver said suddenly.

Before he knew it, the taxi had arrived in front of Seoul City Hall.

Do-Jun fetched his wallet from his pocket and handed over a card, which the taxi driver skillfully took, inserted it into the terminal, and processed the payment.

“Have a good day, sir,” the taxi driver said as he returned the card with a smile.

***

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

As Do-Jun entered the Fissure Management Division, which was located on the seventh floor, the staff naturally noticed him, and a few people ran toward him.

“Hey! A-are you okay?” a man in his mid to late forties asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

Do-Jun could tell that this man was Kang Cheol-Soo.

“Yes, as you can see, I am perfectly fine,” Do-Jun assured.

“You really are. You look completely fine,” Cheol-Soo said, sounding surprised.

It was unbelievable. He had visited the hospital where Do-Jun was admitted just yesterday. He had been told that Do-Jun’s condition was too dire for visitors, and he had to head back without seeing him, so how could he become perfectly fine overnight?

“Are you really okay? They actually said you could be discharged?” asked a woman who appeared to be a fellow staff. Her gaze scanned him up and down with apparent concern.

Do-Jun nodded and replied, “As you can see, I am fine.”

“Thank goodness. Do you know how worried I was when I heard about the accident? Wait, that’s one thing, but what happened to your stutter, Do-Jun?” a male employee asked, tilting his head in puzzlement.

“I had a stutter?” Do-Jun asked.

“Yes, you did, right, Chief?” the male employee replied.

“You’re right. That’s why I thought it wasn’t him when I answered the phone earlier,” Cheol-Soo explained.

Then, the male employee grabbed Do-Jun’s arm, only to discover it wasn’t squishy. Even though he was wearing a long-sleeved dress shirt, the firmness of his well-defined muscles was easily palpable.

“Your body... your body is different. What happened?”

“Was I not always like this?” Do-Jun asked curiously.

At Do-Jun’s question, Cheol-Soo nodded and said, “Man, you used to be pretty skinny. You were introverted, too. Actually, you even seem a bit taller....”

Cheol-Soo recalled Do-Jun, who was similar in height to him 171 centimeters, and a look of confusion appeared on his face. Now, he had to look up slightly when looking at Do-Jun. The latter appeared to be at least 180 centimeters.

“Is that so? Thank you for the information,” Do-Jun replied nonchalantly.

“Can a person really change this much overnight? Are you really Do-Jun? You’re not someone else, right?” Cheol-Soo asked skeptically.

“You might feel that I’ve changed a bit, but I really am Do-Jun,” Do-Jun assured them once more.

Expressions of disbelief surfaced on everyone's faces, but Do-Jun paid no attention and just looked around.

He asked, “Where is my desk? It seems I lost some of my memories as a result of the accident.”

“You lost your memory? Hah, that’s really suspicious. Are you really Lee Do-Jun?”

“Your face, too... It’s got a similar vibe, but you’ve actually gotten a bit more handsome.”

Cheol-Soo nudged the staff member next to him and said, “Hyun Soo, could you grab the fingerprint scanner?”

The man named Hyun Soo went to the office storage and returned with the fingerprint scanner that used to be attached to a storage room marked “Authorized Personnel Only.” That fingerprint scanner had been replaced with a newer model two months ago and was stored away.

“Put your right thumb on it. If this checks out, we’ll believe you,” Cheol-Soo said.

Without hesitation, Do-Jun placed his right thumb on the scanner.

[Lee Do-Jun, Fissure Management Division, confirmed.]

Cheol-Soo was in disbelief.

“T-try again!” he commanded.

[Lee Do-Jun, Fissure Management Division, confirmed.]

“Again!”

But no matter how many times they made Do-Jun scan his fingerprint, the result was the same.

“But how can a person change so much overnight?”

“He says he has amnesia. Maybe that cured his stuttering, somehow.”

“Fine, let’s say that explains the stutter. But how can a person grow taller all of a sudden?”

Amid all the disbelief and shock, Do-Jun sighed and said, “Now, can you please tell me where my desk is?”

“No, no. You should go home and get

ple~nty

of rest today. You’re still on sick leave, so you can start working again tomorrow!” Cheol-Soo refused.

“But...” Do-Jun trailed off hesitantly.

Cheol-Soo shoved him on the back, saying, “I’ll take you home. Let’s go.”

“No, it’s okay. I can go alone.”

Do-Jun reluctantly left the Fissure Management Division. He then retrieved his ID card from his wallet to check his home address.

***

“What was the password...?”

Do-Jun stood in front of the door of unit 301 in Changshin Villa. He searched himself in hopes of finding a key somewhere but found nothing.

Just in case someone was inside, he knocked on the door.

—Who is it?

A voice came through the intercom.

Do-Jun swallowed his saliva before carefully speaking, “And who are you?”