Chapter 6

[Translator – Angel Dust][Proofreader – ChiSync]

Chapter 6: Appraiser (1)

I sat at my desk, pondering over three books laid out in front of me.

[Understanding of Mana]

[Mana Circuit Theory]

[Fundamental Concepts of Magic]

[Insight Activated]

A white beam of light traced along the edge of the first book. It was the original. And it contained a legacy.

‘There’s no legacy in the [Fundamental Concepts of Magic]. I guess I’ll have to settle for [Mana Circuit Theory].’

My heart raced. Without insight, I probably wouldn’t have obtained the legacy even if the book was present.

‘Let’s calm down and read it properly.’

I first skimmed through the table of contents and the initial chapters of the [Fundamental Concepts of Magic]. Clearly, the author’s intentions and directions were completely opposite.

Where Cartia delved into theory, seeking deep understanding of concepts and phenomena, Arcana emphasized practical efficiency.

The [Fundamental Concepts of Magic] followed suit.

I took out an Oriental cigarette, put it in my mouth, and muttered.

“Ignite.”

Whoosh!

A small flame ignited at the tip of the cigarette, lighting it up and tinting the cigeratte red.

“Sssh…, ha.”

White smoke billowed out into the room like clouds.

‘Ha, never thought I’d be using magic.’

In Cartia’s books, there wasn’t a single method mentioned for manifesting magic. It merely explained what ‘mana’, the medium used before manifesting magic, was and how it operated, and what could be done with it.

On the other hand, the [Fundamental Concepts of Magic] began right from the first chapter with these words.

– A true mage should be adept in handling all kinds of magic. I will lay out all the fundamentals of magic in this book.

It was a passage reflecting Arcana’s resolute determination.

As he said, the book detailed various basic magics, their manifestation methods, applications, principles, and more.

Thanks to deciphering [Understanding of Mana], receiving its legacy, Insight, and Arcana’s helpful explanations, I could easily manifest Ignite.

“Phew… That’s convenient.”

As I sucked out the filter part of the cigarette, mana flowed in, which converted into energy, and spread throughout my body.

I could feel my mana increasing little by little. With the concepts grasped through [Understanding of Mana] of what mana was and how it reacted, this was the state.

‘I’ve gathered twice as much refined mana as when I first smoked.’

All of this was the effect of the legacy.

‘Knowledge accumulates and reveals itself. How amazing is the ability of this creator named D.K.?’

A small amount of mana was dispersed through the smoke, but the filter spun the mana at exactly the maximum speed of the tobacco burning and utilized the ingredients inside to channel it all into my body.

“It’s a very sophisticated mana circuit. Who on earth made this?”

I roughly pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray and closed the [Fundamental Concepts of Magic].

As I smoked my Oriental cigarette and pondered, my conviction grew. Now wasn’t the time to look into this.

I pushed the [Fundamental Concepts of Magic] aside for a moment and brought out another book I bought this time.

[Mana Circuit Theory]

In terms of theory, there’s nothing as outstanding as Cartia’s theory books.

Even in my past life, I consistently studied Mana Circuit Theory.

One of the most crucial pieces of knowledge when appraising artifacts is understanding mana circuits.

Compared to Cartia, my knowledge of mana circuits is like that of a child.

‘For now, let’s focus on building the foundation. Increasing my mana comes first.’

I’m not about to head into battle, enroll in an academy, or take the appraisal exam for artifact assessment.

Right now, my priority is laying the groundwork and devising ways to rapidly increase mana.

And I need to prepare thoroughly to deal with that bastard.

‘Even if it is a little thick.’

[Mana Circuit Theory]

Given that I’ve fully grasped [Understanding of Mana], it shouldn’t be as difficult as it sounds. There’s still quite a bit of time until next week.

Until then, I need to thoroughly read [Mana Circuit Theory].

Although having mana replenishing potions would significantly speed up the process. But they’re so expensive that it’s not something I can do right now.

“Phew… Yeah. If I want to relax comfortably, now’s the time.”

Isn’t there a saying about working hard when you’re young to live comfortably in old age?

* * *

Thub!

“Whew…”

I closed the book.

I was wrong. I thought with Insight, a week would be enough, but it wasn’t.

“I haven’t had a good sleep in days and yet I haven’t even finished half of it. Ah…”

I feel something warm on my chin.

Tap.

A drop of red blood fell onto my thigh. I hurriedly covered my nose and ran to the bathroom to wipe away the blood.

It feels like my mind is foggy. There were times when I only slept two hours a day and endured almost a month, but to break down like this in just a week…

The main reason was that I kept using Insight even when my mana was low.

Cartia’s knowledge was deeper and more refined than I had thought.

The Great Upheaval on Earth happened only 35 years ago, so it felt distinctly impossible to keep up with Cartia’s knowledge.

“Ah… It’s already 3 a.m.”

I have an appointment with Kim Junghyun at 9 a.m. I had already scheduled it in advance after he asked me to contact him to discuss a case last time.

If I sleep now, I can get about five hours of sleep. Normally, I wouldn’t worry, but will I be able to wake up in my current state?

But staying up all night like this is impossible. My body has reached its limit.

I reluctantly set dozens of alarms on my phone at one-minute intervals and lay down on the bed. I immediately closed my eyes.

Beep beep beep! Beep! Beep beep beep beep!

I fumbled with my hands, frowning at the loud alarm that woke me up. .

“Ugh…”

I must have set the alarm for the wrong time.

I struggled to lift my heavy eyelids and looked at the phone screen. 8:00 a.m.

“….”

I turned my head to look at the window, wondering if I’d woken up too late.

A bright white light was shining down. It was morning.

Rubbing my head, I turned off the alarm and quickly finished getting ready before leaving the house.

The appointment was at a private room in Gangnam, called ‘Sunting’.

It was a restaurant where only high-graded individuals or famous hunters could reserve and use. Kim Junghyun had made the reservation there.

I had been to this place a few times in the past when I used to work.

Come to think of it, this private room had been around for quite a while.

It would be here for at least another decade.

“I have a reservation for K148.”

“I’ll check it. Let me show you to your room.”

The staff personally escorted me. Using the elevator inside the restaurant, we ascended to the 8th floor, where dark corridors twisted and turned.

It seemed to be designed to prevent people in other rooms from seeing inside through the door gaps.

“This is it.”

I nodded, entering the room as if I were familiar with it. It wasn’t very large, but it had a luxurious design and decor, and one side of the room was glass, allowing for a clear view of the outside.

Of course, it was coated so that you couldn’t see inside from the outside.

“Ah, Mr. Woogil. It’s been a while.”

Kim Junghyun, who had arrived earlier, greeted me warmly, extending his hand. We exchanged light handshakes and took our seats.

“You’ve invited me to quite an expensive place.”

“Not at all. If it weren’t for you, the damage would have been much greater.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Hmm… To be honest, I was worried that you might feel uncomfortable if I said something like this.”

“Huh? What…?”

His innocent bright smile faded. As his expression turned serious, my heart rate began to rise.

“Are you an Awakened, Mr. Woogil?”

An Awakened.

It refers to a select few humans who can manipulate mana.

Some are born with mana from birth, while others awaken to mana later in life.

However, not everyone who awakens can manipulate mana. There are also those who live unaware of their awakening.

In my case, I got a message that I awakened, which is not typical.

‘Is it because of Insight?’

Special abilities were still not properly regulated even 20 years later, and with the variety of types, most individuals preferred to keep their abilities hidden, making research difficult.

‘It’s getting a bit annoying.’

Although I had considered that someone as skilled as Kim Junghyun might recognize it…

‘Wouldn’t I have been cursed anyway?’

Because of that bastard Soul Reaper’s curse, I had no choice but to use mana.

It must have been when he sensed my mana.

“Ah, well…”

“Don’t worry too much! I just thought it should be acknowledged for future discussions. I have no intention of disclosing that fact anywhere.”

Kim Junghyun already seemed almost convinced that I was an Awakened.

“Judging by your attitude, it seems like you want to hide the fact that you’re an Awakened, but you still took the risk to save people. Isn’t that right?”

“…It was just luck.”

While there was some truth to that, Kim Junghyun was not the kind of person he thought.

It was merely a coincidence.

“To be honest, I was surprised too. You were the one who first discovered the hiding of those monsters and deliberately tried informing me, weren’t you?”

“….” S~ᴇaʀᴄh the NʘvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

‘He knew about that too? Was I that bad of an actor?’

Now that he mentioned it, embarrassment washed over me. What thoughts did he have while watching my awkward performance?

“And about the Soul Reaper.”

Kim Junghyun’s voice softened.

“I saw that you were the one who broke the curse of that Named monster I missed this time.”

Of course. Kim Junghyun knew everything. I suddenly realized how reckless my actions had been.

Of course, it was because I knew what kind of person Kim Junghyun was that I had acted, otherwise I would have thought of a different way.

Kim Junghyun was a true hero who sacrificed himself for others in the future.

“I believe that you, Mr. Woogil, might have awakened a special ability.”

“….”

Why is he so quick? Everything is perfect, but does he really need to be so perceptive?

“That’s why I called you here. I think it would be good if talents like yours were to join Salvation and work for the people. Of course, I’m not forcing you, not at all.”

Salvation. It is a world defense organization created to protect the Earth connected to other dimensions.

As Kim Junghyun is currently affiliated with Salvation, there are many good people there, but I had no intention of joining Salvation.

Thinking about what happened to me in my previous life still makes my blood boil.

“Ah, yes.”

“And so, I intend to ask for your favor.”

Kim Junghyun said to me with a warm smile.

“Aren’t you saying that a little too bluntly?”

“Haha, I’m not good at beating around the bush.”

Since things had turned out this way, it was a good thing. Let’s upgrade the original plan a bit. Kim Junghyun is trustworthy.

“Ah, first of all, I brought the E-grade items you mentioned.”

Although the situation had deviated a bit, the reason I met Kim Junghyun today was for this.

When we arranged the meeting, Kim Junghyun said he wanted to give me something as a token of gratitude. Kim Junghyun gladly showed me the E-grade items he had.

He was happy to show me what he had.

“I don’t have many E-grade items.”

He brought a total of five items.

A necklace, a totem, an old dagger, gloves, and a ring.

‘Good.’

Among them, there was something I wanted.

In my previous life, I thought it was an E-grade item, but years later, it had been appraised as an S-grade artifact, becoming Kim Junghyun’s main equipment.

“I’ll give you all of them, and since I’m sorry I couldn’t give you just the E-class, I also brought a D-grade, here-.”

“No. This is enough. If you’re sorry, how about these?”

The five items he brought out.

[Insight Activated.]

Aside from what I wanted, there was another item with unexpected potential.

“I’m actually good at appraising items.”

“What?”

Kim Junghyun, with wide-open eyes, looked at me with an incredulous gaze.

It was understandable. After all, it was a guy without even a Class 1 Appraiser license, let alone a Salvation Academy student, talking about appraising.

I picked up the old dagger on the table.

A considerably old dagger. The blade was completely damaged, and the hilt was corroded, making it impossible to use as a dagger.

However, the engraved patterns and ancient language on the handle and guard hinted at the possible value of this old dagger.

Of course, if I couldn’t interpret it, it would remain trash forever.

“Tekbebeje.(თიყბზ)”

Woong-

As I chanted the activation word, a blue light emanated from the mana stone embedded in the handle of the dagger, and a strange glow flowed along the mana circuit.

“Hoo…”

A muffled exclamation came from the front. I was surprised, but I maintained a nonchalant expression.

I thrust the dagger into the air. As if inserting a key into an invisible keyhole and turning it, as I rotated the dagger, space split, and a subspace emerged.

“Fucking hell…”

‘Did I just hear that right? Did Kim Junghyun swear?’

Glancing at Kim Junghyun, I saw him staring at the dagger as if his eyeballs were about to pop out.

“Uh, well. As you can see, it’s an artifact. It’s probably about A-grade. Although it’s a pocket dimension, the size of the space is too small for such a conspicuous dagger…”

“…Did you really appraise this?”

“Yes.”

I casually closed the pocket dimension and placed the old dagger on the table.

Kim Junghyun’s gaze followed it down.

Good, now’s the time.

“Hunter Kim Junghyun. Would you consider being my broker?”

Appraisers. They are the most needed profession in this era. A job that appraises the legacy of ancient civilizations pouring in and discovers the true value of their abilities.

Above all, in this era, there are no individuals as powerful as hunters and appraisers.

‘This is the start.’

The best appraiser not affiliated with Salvation. This life, I’ll be able to meet the Director in a different position than before.

‘But… why is he acting like that?’

Kim Junghyun’s expression was strange. It seemed like his soul had left his body.

“Excuse me?”

“….”

“Hunter Kim Junghyun?”

“Yes? What did you say?”

Kim Junghyun seemed to have lost his mind. And quite thoroughly at that.

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – ChiSync]