Past Life Returner - Chapter 5

The man, who had been driven into a corner, announced that a peaceful change of the government structure by ending the dictatorship would be a historical mission during the Constitution Day celebration ceremony. It was July 17th, 1985, the Korean Constitution Day, and the 140th day since I was born. This guy was a deep scar on the 386 generation, which were those born in the 1960s and went to college in the 1980s. He had left affronts on every Korean citizen, whether they had participated in the student movements or fought for democracy. 

My father turned off the television with a rigid expression then lifted me up. Growing faster didn’t mean I could move freely. I had to maintain the appropriate growth development. I could grow faster than babies around my age but not to the extent to become a sensational topic overseas. I mumbled my pronunciation and floundered my limbs on purpose despite being able to speak a recognizable word and to stand by myself. 

“Dada. Daddaii.”

My father usually went to work on weekends but was home today. My plans to complete the Walk Alone quest during the morning went up in smoke. My father reached out his index finger and I knew what that meant. Now that my survival reflexes didn’t take place on their own I intentionally grabbed my father’s finger. 

“Honey! Our son is as strong as Hercules.” My father was amazed. 

I felt weird because I had seen my father only a few times in this life unlike my mother. My father in his twenties was awkward but I was thankful to be able to see him. He was alive here. 

***

I chose the day I was born as the time of my return because I only considered two things: the trait ‘The Man Who Overcomes Adversity’ and the rewards for being the First Awakened. The current situation began to be frustrating since I managed to receive S class skills. It was hard to pretend that I couldn’t do things when I could so I slept during the daytime and waited for the night to come. My time began after my father came in drunk and fell asleep late at night. 

Infants have a high body temperature and my mother put a thin blanket on my stomach even though it was hot early summer. However I was happy to hear the creaking sound from the old electronic fan and my father’s snoring which was louder than usual.

I felt I could move more freely that night so I pushed away the blanket and quietly crawled out from it. My mother was right beside me so I crept like a stray cat. 

The first thing I did was change my diaper. I now understood why babies cried when their diapers were wet because a soggy diaper bothered me. Even though I could stand by myself my small bladder was still a problem. My mom always changed the diaper before she went to bed but it was already wet. 

There was a laundry basket only for my diapers. My mother gathered one day’s worth of diapers and washed them all together. Since there were so many one or two more did not make any difference. I threw the diaper in an arc then it went into the basket. 

Okay it was my time. I had already finished standing up without support. There was a spot I marked that would not make any noise when I fell so I moved to the corner of my room where my parents piled up the blankets. 

Seeing an almost four-month-old baby changing diapers and practicing walking by himself late at night when everyone was asleep would induce shock rather than pride. People would be terrified. There was no need to rush since I had time. I prioritized not waking my parents when I practiced so I promised myself that I would fall towards the blankets when I lost balance. I didn’t keep track of time. I just repeated my attempts over and over until my infant body was out of energy.  

[Your Strength has increased by 1.]

[Your Sense has increased by 1.]

[Your Agility has increased by 1.]

My stats had increased even though I didn’t complete the quest. I had steadily accumulated enough growth and had now reached the point where it could be measured and quantified. As a matter of a fact my grip had become stronger and I had been feeling more muscle pain recently. I calculated that my Sense was at the highest because of the reward I received from the bronze box. In my past life the reason why I could fight the Eight Evils and the Eight Virtues despite my low level was because of my abnormally high senses. I had S class Sense which was on a par with them.

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Nonetheless my weakness was obvious. I was able to trouble the Eight Evils and the Eight Virtues but I couldn’t meet any face to face. That one encounter was truly disastrous. 

The most ideal growth was to have balanced stats in the end. However the strategy to winning is about the level and understanding of the skills and competency of yourself and the opponent. Those who had an unbalanced growth were only useful temporarily and those whose abilities were one-sided were often made fun of and thrown out. 

I straightened my back stretched my arms and carefully balanced my body like I was on a tightrope. I finally took a step. 

[Become Healthy 5: Walk alone 1/10]

Two steps.

[Become Healthy 5: Walk alone 2/10]

Three steps.

[Become Healthy 5 : Walk Alone 3/10]

However I lost my balance and tilted forward at my fourth step. I flailed my arms and fell down slightly away from the blanket. Oh no! Did I wake my mother?

***

I failed to complete the Walk Alone quest that day since I only managed to take a maximum of four steps while the mission required ten. I crawled into my mother’s arms and buried my face into her breasts. Acting like a baby was only something I could do now and my mother liked me snuggling against her. It was a part of my filial duty. 

***

The next night I took ten steps perfectly. 

[You have completed the quest arc ‘Become Healthy’.]

[Your Health has increased by 1.]

[You have obtained 20 points.]

[Total points: 32]

A light burst. 

[Congratulations! You have fulfilled the growth conditions required for independence.]

[You have received a ‘bronze box’ as your completion reward.]

I read the message over and over again. Another bronze box? Even though the bronze box was the lowest class it was still worth three hundred points so it shouldn’t be this easy to receive one. My mind went blank from surprise and I realized that I had been wrong. 

I misperceived that ‘The Man Who Overcomes Adversity’ trait had made the First Evil the strongest individual since it was an SSS rank cheat that immediately made S class skills into SS. Looking at it now that trait was only one part of his strengths. 

It was a huge benefit to start quests before the Day of Advent because of the plentiful time and the fact the quests were aligned with my growth process. I could accept that a challenger box reward was given for being the first awakened but the bronze box that popped up as a quest reward was beyond my understanding. The quest intuitively unraveled the natural growth everyone goes through but the reward was a bronze box worth three hundred points. 

If the beginning was like this who knew what would happen in the future? It was not a coincidence that he reigned as the strongest individual from the Day of Advent. 

[The bronze box has been opened.]

Swoosh!

[Your Strength has increased by 3.]

I already had planned to remove the First Evil before the Day of Advent but now it became clearer. Even though I didn’t know much about him I had to find and kill him no matter what.

He was too dangerous for humanity as he did not abide by even basic human ethics. I shouldn’t be relieved that I gained the benefits of being the first awakened. Unfortunately the System was generous to those who ranked second and missed being the first Awakened. He would regain what he had already been sooner or later once he was born.