Return of the Irregular Appraiser
Chapter 3

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – ChiSync]

Chapter 3: Collector

When I returned home, I had spent a whopping 1 million won to purchase a single ancient book which was now tucked in my bag.

“This is why I can’t do business.”

Who would buy an unreadable ancient book for a million won? Especially in a place where people are already struggling financially.

No one would buy it unless they were overflowing with money or were crazy, but here it is.

“An ancient bookstore… I should visit a few more times.”

[Understanding Mana]

I couldn’t properly read the contents inside. To understand them, I needed to use Insight Eyes and mana.

I didn’t check all the books in the bookstore, but apart from this one, the ones I did check seemed utterly useless.

[The Story of a Discarded Stone by the Roadside]

[How to Enjoy Sleeping]

[The Night I Had a Strange Dream]

[My daily ramblings of boring times].

I didn’t have an abundance of mana to check all the books there, so I just picked one with certainty and left.

“To think I’d find this here…”

I sat down in the chair and checked the first page of the book and saw the author’s name.

Author: Emperor Cartia De Marié Swakalen

Cartia.

A genius mage of the ancient magical era, who was to be revealed five years later.

It’s no exaggeration to say that I chose this book because of the author.

The insights and knowledge contained in this person’s books were so deep and vast that they were difficult to comprehend even in the modern era.

Of course, the problem was that interpreting one book properly required an immense amount of time.

‘I’ve never seen these books in my previous life.’

To think they were hidden in a place like this. What’s important is the high probability that this ancient book is an original.

The material of the book, the format of the characters, the handwriting of the ancient language… many things pointed to it being an original.

“Ah…”

My heart raced. An original ancient book by Cartia, and one that no one had deciphered before. The significance of being able to decipher it for the first time was profound.

Not all ancient books are like this, but occasionally, exceptional authors like Teraunus included a kind of reward for the first decipherer.

Legacy. Also known as succession.

Although it would be revealed later, it was a device left by the greatest minds of the ancient magical civilization for future generations.

‘Could Cartia’s legacy also be present in this book…?’

Didn’t I gain regression and insight eyes by deciphering Teraunus’s autobiography for the first time?

In many cases, the reason why most people fail to decipher them is because a perfect decryption is often impossible. Many authors didn’t leave such rewards in the first place.

However, I possess insight. In any case, I can perceive the truth.

If it’s Cartia’s ancient book, it’s reasonable to expect such things.

[Insight Eyes is activated.]

A faint white light beam appeared inside the ancient book, flowing along the edges of the book following its title.

As if showcasing the uniqueness of this ancient book.

“Is it indicating that there’s a legacy?”

Woogil takes out another ancient book tucked in a corner of the bookshelf.

[ⴘⴕⴔⴈⴌⴎⴟⴝⴜⴝⴑⴐⴀⴤⴥ]

[Insight Eyes is activated.]

The ancient characters vanished as if they were consumed by fire, and Korean translations emergeed above.

[A Day in the Life of a Flying Bird]

It was a book I bought claiming to study ancient languages in the past. It ultimately didn’t help, though.

‘Well, it didn’t work this time.’

I attempted insight again, but no white light emerged as it did before.

Gradually, the hypothesis turned into certainty.

“I’ll understand everything once I decipher them all.”

I unfolded

[Understanding Mana].

Chapter 1: What is Mana?

「Mana is an intangible substance that exists in the world, characterized by its harmonization with nature…」 Sᴇaʀᴄh the N0vᴇlFirᴇ.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

The ancient languages written fluidly responded in real-time to my intent.

Usually, even if translated into Korean, understanding the content would be difficult, but I perfectly comprehended it as it was.

‘Mana is a naturally occurring force, and its production is increased by interacting with the mana around it. Is this it?’

It seemed that this was the reason why the earth had a dimensional connection and an explosion of mana.

I was intrigued. Apart from the interpretation of the text, it was quite fun for me to learn a little bit about this unknown power.

Perhaps I would have gotten bored quickly if I didn’t understand the texts themselves, but thanks to Insight’s ability, it wasn’t hard to understand them.

“Ugh.”

By the tenth chapter, my head ached like it was going to crack. The mana in my body was completely depleted, and I could no longer interpret the contents of the book.

‘Is 10 chapters a day the limit of my mana?’

After using up all my mana, the feeling of exhaustion was no joke. Dizziness and fatigue overtook me.

I flopped on the bed and closed my eyes.

Hum—Hum—

A vibrating sound ringed in my head. I irritably snatched my cell phone out of my sleep and checked the caller ID.

[Asshole]

“Hmm… Asshole. Yeah, I don’t forget Assholes.”

Even in a dazed state, seeing the name Asshole felt like a jolt of clarity.

Should I answer? It’s not like I’m unaware of this person’s character and their trash-like qualities, and I’ve even awakened to it. Is there really a need to get involved?

But contrary to my thoughts, my fingers naturally move towards the call button.

– Hey, Kim Woogil. Get out here right now.

He’s still bossing people around like slaves.

It was another confirmation that my memory hadn’t been distorted at all.

“Why?”

– Why? Is this punk still half-asleep? Just woke up?

“Yes, I just woke up a moment ago.”

– Tsk, wake up. There’s work to do, so come out immediately.

“Is it urgent?”

– Yeah. I’ll add a bit more to your pay too.

When I was younger, I was gaslighted by this guy for over a year. In the process, my body was ruined and I didn’t make much money.

My physical condition isn’t great now, but it’ll deteriorate rapidly in a few months.

‘Come to think of it, disappearing might not be an option after all.’

I had a contract with the bastard.

I was tricked into signing a contract with an asshole who said he was going to pay me a lot of money, but then he took this off, took that off, and gave me all kinds of reasons, and I ended up getting paid less than minimum wage.

It’s a job that involves running barefoot into a battlefield with real-time combat and collecting loot.

The danger pay alone should have been several times more than what I was receiving, but this scammer practically used me for free.

Despite knowing I was deceived and being trapped by the contract, I couldn’t even move a muscle and worked anyway.

– Hey! You punk. What are you doing? Not answering? Have you lost your mind? Want to die?

While reminiscing about the past, there was a moment of silence, and then immediately came a threat.

“I’ll go.”

– Yeah, that’s a nice way to say it. Hurry up. You realize that if you’re a minute late, I’ll take a chunk out of your salary, right?

Click.

The call ends with me saying my piece and hanging up.

Then, the location and time come through as a message.

[To the office near Hapjeong Station by 3:30 PM.]

Current time: 2:30 PM. One hour remaining. If I leave now, I can just about make it.

“Sigh… I momentarily forgot about that one bastard I need to get rid of first.”

For 20 years, I hadn’t forgotten about this damn bastard.

Recalling the past, I wondered how things would have turned out if I had done this at that time, or if I had done that, how I could have crushed this guy completely. I wondered how many fantasies I had.

Using awakening abilities isn’t the only way to handle him. However, isn’t it foolish to have acquired abilities and not use them?

“Just crushing him with brute force would be boring. It’s not my style.”

As I packed up my clothes and headed out the door, I was still thinking. I didn’t stop thinking about it until I got on the subway.

‘Yeah, I’ve made up my mind.’

When expectations turn into reality, people feel immense happiness and a sense of accomplishment. But when they realize it’s all a lie, the recoil hits them hard, as high as they’ve climbed.

‘Let me make you realize how terrifying despair is.’

[PR/N: Ayo demn…]

Creak-

Turning the rusty latch of the old metal door, the noisy sound pierced my ears.

A man with a rugged appearance and arms full of tattoos, his black shirt unbuttoned at the top.

Kang Chanwook, the CEO.

That scoundrel is the bastard in question.

“Hey, why are you coming so late? Don’t you know you’re supposed to come and wait in advance? You’ve been working here for months and still are so clueless?”

I left immediately after hanging up the phone. I wanted to say, ‘Did you expect me to anticipate the call and leave early?’

That crazy bastard.

But I held back for the satisfaction it would bring later.

“Sorry.”

“Tsk. Pack your stuff. We’re leaving right away.”

I picked up the large backpack and toolbox that were on the table and went outside.

We transferred our belongings to a fairly large van and headed to the operation area.

“We’re going to Planet Herta, Sector E.”

“Sector E? Not Sector F?”

Another employee who was going to the operation area asked.

“Yeah, what’s the problem? Don’t you ever work outside Sector F? Sometimes you should go to Sector E too. That way, more work comes in. Is that bad for you? If you want work, you have to accept and do things like this! Anyway, these youngsters don’t understand how things work.”

A man who muttered a word and bowed my head in reprimand.

He’s an employee named Hwang Myeongsu. That guy’s life is quite pathetic. He’s already twenty and still working under that bastard.

“Sector E… Come to think of it, today’s the day.”

The incident where the Salvation’s operation team was attacked by monsters while killing monsters invading Sector E to retrieve loot.

Although war Sectors in Herta were generally like that, it’s rare for monsters to attack again in Sector E.

That’s why the Excavation Team was mobilized, but monsters attacked again, killing hunters and attacking the Excavation Team.

A very rare case happened when I went.

‘Thanks to the sacrifices of the hunters, most of the Excavation Team survived, but there were casualties.’

Basically, only the personnel from the government agency, Salvation, and directly affiliated companies are sent in groups of nearly thirty for each operation.

However, in cases where there were gaps in personnel, they also urgently brought in the Excavation Team members from small offices.

It was a fact I only learned later, but it’s not an easy task for the Excavation Team from the small office to enter Sector E, let alone Sector F.

I didn’t realize it before, but that bastard seemed to have quite some abilities.

“If…”

When Ii, who had been silent still, spoke up, the bastard’s expression soured.

He shot me a fierce glare as if to say, ‘Let’s see what kind of nonsense you’re trying to pull again.’

“What if Sector E gets attacked again, and we’re in danger?”

“This idiot. The monsters that invaded Sector E have already been killed. What attack are you talking about? Are you just making excuses because you don’t want to go?”

“But what if? Then, will we get hazard pay?”

“Ha! Why are you acting up today of all days? Fine! I’ll give it to you.”

“Really?”

Hwang Myeongsu, who was next to me, asked in surprise.

His face showed expectation, but it was quickly shattered.

“If we get attacked, I’ll pay you 5 times this time, no, 10 times. But if there’s no attack, you won’t get paid for this job. What will you do?”

Hwang Myeongsu, who had been eagerly anticipating it, made me lose my appetite. Everyone here knew it was nonsensical talk, but they didn’t argue.

“Okay, ten times.”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Yes. Write it in the contract. So there’s no changing your mind later.”

The bastard, who seemed to know something, hastily pulled out a document and scribbled with a pen.

“This idiot must still be half asleep. Sign it.”

The asshole threw the paper at him, and I looked at it casually. If you’ve given it, that should be the end of it. Why keep staring?

“Just get it done.”

Ignoring the impatient bastard, I checked the contract. It was because this bastard might have played tricks on the contract.

“Well, at least he didn’t mess with it.

I’ve written hundreds of contracts while trading artifacts in the past.

By just quickly scanning, I could easily tell if there were any traps in it.

There wasn’t time to think about whether I would win or not. If I had had the leisure, I would have torn him apart somehow.

Swish, swish.

“I’m done.”

“Did you change the signature?”

“Yes. I decided to start fresh.”

“What a pain.”

They each wrote two copies of the contract and put one in their pockets.

Other employees looked at me as if I were crazy, but I shrugged it off.

They arrived at the gate leading to the Herta Planet in no time and passed a simple inspection procedure.

Hummm…

A queasy feeling churned in my stomach. I didn’t realize it when I had no mana, but now They hadn’t noticed it when they didn’t have mana, but it was difficult to adapt now that they had it.

The phenomenon of mana adaptation experienced by awakened individuals as they cross the gate.

This can be adapted through training, but for those experiencing it for the first time, some end up vomiting.

“Ugh, feels like I’m gonna throw up.”

I wanted to get it all out of my system, but with that bastard in front of me, I couldn’t. I walked as casually as possible.

I’ll probably get used to it after a few times back and forth.

After receiving instructions, I waited with other Excavation Team members and then got into the car.

We arrived at Sector E after crossing through Sector F. Sectors F and E are divided based on the danger level of the area.

“It feels new after a long time.”

A desolate plain made up of blue soil. In the center, a giant energy absorber planted on the ground hummed as it operated.

And beyond that, hundreds of monster corpses lay scattered across the hill where they had moved further.

There were also hunters resting and preparing their equipment, panting.

“Let’s get to work, everyone!”

Dozens of dump trucks moved, passing through the corpses. Excavation Team members on board rushed down and began stabbing the corpses with dismantling knives.

This was to extract mana essence from the monsters’ bodies.

Mana essence gradually depletes from monsters the moment they die.

Extracting it as quickly as possible and storing it in special containers prevents mana wastage, so the work is carried out on-site.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Specialized Excavation Teams moved first, followed by the office personnel who had urgently joined.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

I was just about to climb onto the dump truck when a friendly-looking hunter approached and spoke to me.

“Aren’t you Hunter Kim Junghyun? Wow, you really have a good personality.”

“That’s right. you really have a good personality.”

Kim Junghyun moved somewhere. It was just to confirm that there might be a possibility of other monsters attacking.

I followed Kim Junghyun, who was running faster than the dump truck.

“Hmm?”

In the distance, seven giant pillars stuck to the ground. Something was swaying above Kim Jungyun, who went to check underneath.

[Insight eyes activated.]

For a moment, it felt like getting hit in the head, but the pain wasn’t important right now.

“This is crazy…!”

He had been wondering when to tell about the monsters’ attack, but their appearance was now clearly visible in my eyes.

The monsters sat quietly atop the pillars, their eyes fixed on Kim Junghyun. Their gazes seemed pretty terrifying.

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – ChiSync]

Sᴇarch the ɴøvᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.