Return of the Irregular Appraiser
Chapter 16

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – ChiSync]

Aura Stone (3)

‘Does this even make sense?’

Subspace. It’s not a very rare ability. Many artifacts, even those that have already been appraised, possess the ability of Subspace.

However, despite there being many artifacts with Subspace abilities, they are still vastly insufficient in comparison to the overall demand.

In ventures such as traveling to planets in other dimensions or engaging in wars against monsters, Subspace is almost a necessary ability.

Especially in operations requiring mobility, whether one has Subspace or not can often determine the success of the mission.

So, when it comes to artifacts related to Subspace, Salvation would eagerly search for them as if their eyes were on fire.

‘Damn it, why subspace again!’

Currently, it’s impossible to create Subspace with Earth’s magical engineering technology.

Salvation has been continuously investing in related research, but there have been no results.

The old dagger that Kim Woogil had appraised was an item appraised in the Appraisal Section 2.

Although considerable effort was put into interpreting the ancient language and patterns engraved on the handle and guard, even after comparing and combining the ancient language materials interpreted by the Korean branch, it was hard to identify them.

So, along with the decision to mark it as unable to be appraised, an inspection of the internal mana circuit was carried out, and it was judged to be an E-grade regular item.

But in the hands of that appraiser, it became an A-grade artifact, one with Subspace abilities at that.

‘Just when things were already chaotic because of the Aura Stone, finding out about this would completely break everything.’

Undermining one’s own authority from above is not a big deal for a day or two, so it’s not really that important.

However, if proper handling isn’t done with this Subspace dagger along with the Aura Stone, things will definitely go haywire.

‘Yeah, shit. If I have to cut it, then I’ll cut it.”

Things were getting to the point where even the remaining half of my head might be pulled out.

‘I should just stop altogether and take a break. Maybe sharpen my mind… Oh, no, wait. If I get cut, then there’s no hope for our Section 2 team.’

“Excuse me, are you done?”

Lost in thought, Park Man-deuk is interrupted by Kim Woogil.

“Oh, sorry.”

Recalling my earlier startled reaction, I slightly nodded my head.

“…May I take a look?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

As Woogil pulls out the dagger from thin air, the scene witnessed just moments ago disappears as if it were a fleeting illusion.

Touching the handle as if possessed, I casually thrust the dagger into the air.

“……”

“……”

“……”

At the absurd sight, the faces of the two men subtly change.

“Uh, Huh!”

Looking like a fool, I hastily placed the dagger back on the table.

“I apologize for the earlier mistake. I’ve been fooled by private appraisers too many times, so I guess I couldn’t trust this time either.”

“It’s okay.” Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NʘvᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“This dagger was appraised by our appraisal department. I’ve seen it, and I remember it clearly, and I couldn’t appraise it no matter how hard I tried……. How on earth did you do that?”

“…That’s a secret.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. The appraiser asked the appraiser how to appraise, haha…….”

In truth, it wasn’t a mistake. I was just throwing it out there to see if he’d drop any hints.

“We used to think we were the best, at least in Korea……. As of today, that’s been broken.”

“The accuracy of appraisal varies for each item, so it’s too early to make such judgments.”

“Haha… That’s true.”

I smiled awkwardly as I looked at Kim Junghyun.

“I’ve verified the abilities, and since Hunter Kim Junghyun has vouched for you, I’ll trust him and entrust this request to you.”

“Thank you. If it’s Mr. Kim Woogil, you can trust him.”

Park Man-deuk gathers his hands together and leans forward towards the table, the cold breeze blowing as he does so.

“As I mentioned earlier, I’ll leave the appraisal of the ore entirely to Mr. Woogil. Of course, our Division 2 Appraisal team will continue appraising and conducting research, but if there’s anything you need, we’ll support you.”

“Okay.”

Compared to me, who is deeply excited with a serious expression, Woogil’s voice sounds nonchalant.

I found such demeanor oddly reassuring. The foundation of appraisal lies in calmness.

“If I fail to properly appraise this time, I might be cut off.”

“Ah… Yes.”

I stood up and grabbed Woogil’s hand from the table and held it with both hands.

I bowed my head to him with a pleading expression.

“So please, help me.”

The attitude that seemed dismissive just moments ago has vanished completely.

He looked as if he didn’t even remember what he had done earlier.

I actually preferred Park Man-deuk’s current demeanor.

It’s a style where one’s emotions are openly displayed. Better than those who are like snakes with different insides and outsides.

Of course, even that could be a well-played act…

[Probability of truth: 99.9%]

At least insight says its the truth.

“Your hand…”

“Ah!”

He releases my hand he hastily caught and sits back in his seat, laughing awkwardly.

“Thank you so much! And this…”

Park Man-deuk takes out a small box from inside his jacket and places it on the table.

“It can’t be…”

Kim Junghyun looks at him in surprise.

“Yes, it’s an aura stone.”

He pulls out an ore the size of his index finger from the box.

“It’s small, but I’ll lend you this one for now.”

“I didn’t expect you to give it to me so soon.”

“I’ll send you a larger ore as well.”

“…You don’t have to go that far-.”

“No, I must. My life depends on this project. It’s only natural to do this much. Of course, you must keep it a secret.”

Park Man-deuk’s proactive attitude left me unable to refuse further.

“Alright. Then, how will you compensate?”

This was the beginning of the real deal.

As this was his first commission, it would serve as a benchmark for the value of the Appraiser named Kim Woogil, and he intended to prove his worth.

“If you have any conditions, please let me know.”

Tension crept onto my face. A talented appraiser who was not from Salvation.

When I heard from Kim Junghyun, I only thought of him as a private appraiser specializing in mineral studies. But now, seeing that he appraised a Subspace dagger, he’s clearly not just at that level. To think he’d be so concerned about the commission fee, leaving no room for doubt about the private appraiser’s thoughts.

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have thought about it in advance!’

Despite his efforts to maintain a calm expression, it was visible in Woogil’s eyes what he was thinking.

“It’s obvious, he came here disregarding me as a private appraiser and didn’t even properly consider the commission fee.’

In this negotiation, our side has a clear advantage. Woogil seemed to ponder, tapping the table slowly with his index finger.

Tap, tap, tap, tap…

Amidst the silence, the dull thuds reverberated. Feeling time pass slowly, I sensed my mouth becoming parched.

‘Oh… What was I thinking, saying something like that! Ah!’

Staring blankly at his fingers, memories of my skeptical attitude before seeing the Subspace dagger suddenly flashed back.

‘No, I shouldn’t have been so brash about dismissing a private appraiser… Ah, Hunter Kim Junghyun introduced him. Damn! Now that I see it, he’s a flawless individual, isn’t he?’

As Kim Junghyun brought him here with such confidence, he must be confident in mineral appraisal. Having already appraised the Subspace dagger, he’s proven his abilities, leaving no room for doubt.

The situation is clear now.

The longer the silence lengthened, the more clearly I realized my predicament, and at the same time, nervousness began to weigh on me.

“I…, what can I say…….”

As my mouth opened, a faint smile appeared on Woogil’s lips and then vanished.

“Do you have a price in mind? The appraisal department must have set an upper limit on the appraisal fee in advance.”

“Ah, well…”

“This ore. There’s no one else in South Korea who can appraise it properly but me.”

I went forth confidently. After all, the previous chaos happened precisely because the appraisal couldn’t be done properly.

“Please tell me. How much can you offer?”

* * *

The satisfying deal concluded, and the next day arrived. Three weeks were given for the appraisal. Within that time frame, I had to complete a perfect appraisal and send the appraisal evaluation report to Park Man-deuk.

“Hmm…”

Appraising the Aura Stone. To me, whose knowledge of minerals was shallow, it was as unreasonable as trying to break asphalt with a spoon.

[Insight Activated.]

As the mana was being drained, it was abruptly cut off as if caught on something.

[Failure.]

“Cough…!”

I felt like I was about to vomit for a moment.

This was the first time the Insight had failed. However, I had somewhat expected this situation.

With almost no knowledge of minerals, it would require a significant amount of mana to appraise it through Insight.

My current mana was not that great. There were too many things to do, and I hadn’t thought about it before, but in fact, the most urgent matter was increasing my mana.

“Tsk.”

Pressing on my throbbing temple, I took out a cigarette from my pocket.

Click.

“Phew…”

I tried to endure it for a while, thinking about my health and money, but it wasn’t easy.

I got lost in thought as I watched the swirling smoke.

The Oriental tobacco on the desk.

Only three puffs left in the pack. Even if I managed to find out how to make them using all my time and mana, knowing how to do it and being able to do it were two different issues.

Finding the maker would be the best option, but no traces of them could be found.

‘Now, once I start appraisal work, I can spend as much money as I want.’

The problem is this insignificant amount of mana.

Making efforts to increase his mana, but it’s still insufficient. It feels like software is getting better while hardware remains the same.

D.K. I need to find this maker.

“Who on earth could it be?”

As far as I know, there’s nothing on Earth that can increase mana just by smoking cigarettes. Unless it’s an artifact, but there’s no way Oriental tobacco could be an artifact.

While there are ways to somewhat replenish depleted mana, increasing the total amount of mana, at least from what I know, is limited to this Oriental tobacco. This was the only thing.

Traders start their business every morning at 6 a.m. To find anything worth buying in Yongmun-dong, I have to move at that time for the best chance.

‘Setting the alarm…’

I closed my eyes. Soon, a wave of fatigue washed over him.

Tap, tap, tap! Tap! Tap, tap, tap, tap!

“Haah…”

I knew it would happen. Looking at the clock, it was already 5 a.m. These days, it feels like two hours pass in the blink of an eye. Time doesn’t flow differently while sleeping, does it?

I quickly got dressed and thoroughly searched Yongmun-dong.

‘Huh? Isn’t that…?’

With a sharp figure and distinct features, though his face was covered by a mask and a hat, I recognized him immediately.

‘It’s Lee Youngwoon?’

The leader of an idol group called Five Stars. I, who usually had no interest in celebrities, recognized him because he would become a significant figure in the entertainment industry later on.

‘Five Stars grew from a small agency to a large one, and when the junior singers started doing well, he was practically discarded by the agency owner. Then he got involved in a drug scandal, his image hit rock bottom, but when Lee Youngwoong awakened and saved people, his image completely turned around.’

At one point, I had been a fan of Lee Youngwoong, thinking, ‘I can awaken like him too.’ That’s why I recognized him immediately.

‘What is he looking for?’

Five Stars, led by Lee Youngwoong, is at its peak and gradually declining. It’s gradually fading from people’s memories, but it’s likely that they’re still actively involved in the entertainment industry.

“Wow, is this sword really that good?”

“Of course! Look at this, it’s a sword from the ancient magic civilization. See these patterns? Although it looks a bit rough on the outside, it’s got tremendous potential!”

Pretending to look at other items, I eavesdropped on their conversation.

‘He’s being played for a sucker.’

I had already seen that sword. It’s not from some ancient magic civilization; it’s just a sword made by some mediocre blacksmith trying to scam people.

“It looks really good, but… how much is it?”

The old man squinted and scanned Lee Youngwoong from head to toe.

With his face covered and dressed in expensive clothes, it was obvious that he was a wealthy celebrity.

“Well… I should be asking for 10 million won for this.”

“T-Ten million?”

“But, to be honest, I was planning to finish business today and return to my hometown. It’s useless to me, and I don’t have many days left to live, so…”

“Oh, why would you say such a thing?”

“No, I received this just yesterday. There are hardly any people who would pay ten million won here, and today’s the end of it. Give me 3 million.”

“3… Hmm.”

As Lee Youngwoong hesitated, the old man began to explain, showing the handle of the sword.

“See this? This pattern is the one used by craftsmen in the B.CD 2000s era. This is the same pattern engraved on the sword used by a famous hunter in England.”

“Oh… Now that you mention it, is it really?”

“Of course it is! For 300, it’s a steal!”

“Oh… I can’t believe this.”

Listening from the side, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the absurdity.

At the sound of my laughter, both men turned to look at me.

“Is that supposed to be an artifact made by craftsmen from the B.CD era?”

Approaching the old man and staring at him intently, I asked, causing the old man to visibly flinch in surprise.

“Of course!”

“Are you sure about that?”

Sensing my sharp demeanor, the old man hesitated, retracting slightly.

“I… I’m not entirely sure. It’s just something I heard when I received it yesterday.”

“What? You didn’t say anything like that earlier, did you?”

Lee Youngwoong said, unable to hide his disbelief.

“Selling something for over a hundred times its actual value when it’s not even worth 30,000 won, let alone 3 million?”

“What?”

Fire sparked in Lee Youngwoong’s eyes at my words.

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – ChiSync]

Sᴇarch the n0vᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.