Return of the Irregular Appraiser
Chapter 31

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]

Chapter 31: Start

“Appraiser Kim Woogil? Who’s that?”

As the evaluation committee members searched their memories for the name Kim Woogil, no one could recall.

“He’s a private appraiser we invited as an external consultant. He has conducted quite a bit of research on minerals.”

Park Man-deuk naturally shifted the focus to minerals as he spoke.

“Oh…”

“A specialist in minerals, it seems.”

“I never thought there would be someone with such deep knowledge of minerals among Korean private appraisers.”

As intended by Park Man-deuk, all the evaluation committee members accepted Kim Woogil as a specialist in minerals.

“The Resonance Distortion Phenomenon…”

However, amidst this, the senior professor at the Salvation Academy couldn’t take his eyes off the report, deeply impressed by Woogil’s theory.

“Where did you find such a person?”

“Hunter Kim Junghyun introduced him to us. We were lucky.”

“Is that so? It seems like talented individuals hidden in South Korea are starting to emerge one by one. That’s a good thing.”

The chairman of the evaluation committee, with his white hair roughly tied back, clapped his hands with a pleased expression.

But beyond that, there were no further questions.

As a specialist in minerals, a very rare case, the replacement manpower would be scarce, but the need would be equally limited.

Perhaps if another unknown mineral like the Aura Stone were discovered, there might be a use for them, but otherwise, they wouldn’t garner much interest. They had played their part as private appraisers.

Park Man-deuk knew their thoughts too well, so he hid his bitter feelings inwardly.

If even the chairman of the evaluation committee had no interest in such talents, how could Korea progress?

Just looking at other countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, and Japan, they consistently provided sufficient support to experts in niche fields.

Wouldn’t the result be rapid development day by day?

‘If it weren’t for Appraiser Kim Woogil, who knows what accident could have occurred with the Aura Stone.’

We were lucky that there were no side effects during the Spiter Cluster Assault Operation, but if things had gone differently, innocent hunters would have died in vain due to the foolish decisions of their superiors.

‘Damn it, let’s stop thinking about it. Just thinking about those things stresses me out.’

I’m going to lose more hair than I already have.

I merely relayed what Woogil had said to Team 1 leader.

“And he said that. He warned not to even think about using it out of curiosity due to the amplification effect of physical enhancement. He said that hunters could be swept away by side effects and die.”

I felt a sense of relief just by conveying the message, especially when I looked at the faces of the distorted Planning and Coordination Manager and the Evaluation Committee Director.

* * *

“I’m going crazy.”

Since the incident with Taejin Faction, I felt a strong need to protect myself.

According to the reports from Oh Geomsu and Yang Jiwon, it was reported that Jung Taejin’s combat power was evaluated as a C-rank hunter level based on various factors such as mana quantity, mana suitability, and mana adaptability.

It was nonsensical considering he had dropped out of the Salvation Academy in the middle of the second year.

Occasionally, there were individuals who displayed combat power above C-rank solely based on tremendous talent without any help, but Jung Taejin wasn’t one of them.

‘I’m lucky to have the Hyper-sensory Cyclone and Fundamental Concepts of Magic, but…’

It wasn’t enough. Especially in situations like last time, where dozens of organization members rushed in at once, I couldn’t rely on the Hyper-sensory Cyclone. The mana consumption was too high.

“Hmm…”

I slowly checked the list of unappraised items I received from Park Man-deuk.

Only 76 unappraised items came into the Salvation Korea Branch in the second quarter alone.

In the Appraisal Department, they quickly and accurately appraise these non-appraised items and trade with the overseas branches of Salvation.

Afterwards, items that cannot be passed on to the outside and whose appraisal evaluations are not good or impossible are passed on through auctions.

I still don’t know much about Park Man-deuk.

I don’t trust him, and I never will, but at least we can join hands for our own benefit.

To do that, Park Man-deuk needs to rise to a position beyond just being an exaggeration in the Appraisal Department.

‘He’ll need to rise to that level to be truly helpful.’

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Most of the current upper class are those who were fortunate enough to awaken early and establish their positions during that time.

There are indeed those with real abilities, but there are also many who do not, and their connections with each other are too strong.

An old hand eventually rots and emits a foul odor.

‘Park Man-deuk, you need to rise higher than you are now.’

At least up to the position of Director, so that your influence within Salvation will strengthen in the future.

I scrolled through detailed records of non-appraised items, jotting down evaluations one after another.

I had been sitting at my desk for a few hours when suddenly the phone rang.

[Appraisal Department, Manager Park Man-deuk]

“What’s up?”

Click.

“Hello.”

– It’s Park Man-deuk. I’m calling to discuss the appraisal of the Aura Stone this time.

“Did it go well?”

– Of course! Our Appraisal Department took all the credit for this performance. Hahaha!!

His voice over the receiver was filled with joy.

– I mentioned you as the external consultant for this appraisal, but cleverly turned it around to make everyone think you were a mineral expert.

Indeed, Park Man-deuk didn’t just rise to the position of manager for nothing. It’s hard to survive in this fierce Korean hierarchical society with just simple appraisal skills.

“Well done.”

– Have you checked the list of non-appraised items?

“Yes, I’m looking at it right now. I’ll write some evaluation comments and send them over. It should be quite helpful if you refer to them.”

– Really?!

His voice sounded even more astonished than when they secured the Aura Stone performance. What’s with all the excitement over this?

“Indeed.”

– It’s so exciting to have appraisal comments from you… I can’t wait! Haha! I wonder if our Appraisal Department will take all the credits for the third and fourth quarter performances as well.

“You should. That’s why I’m giving you this.”

There was suddenly a silence over the phone in response to my direct words.

Probably, if we were facing each other, I would have seen Park Man-deuk busy interpreting the meaning.

The thought of it made me chuckle.

– Is it because I’m on the same boat?

“That’s one way to put it, but isn’t it inevitable for anything that rises to eventually decay? The old ones need to be replaced and new ones brought in. Do well.”

– …Understood. This suddenly feels burdensome.

“It’s a word of encouragement. As you rise to higher positions, as you carry more burdens, it will soon turn into a sense of responsibility.”

– I have one more thing I want to ask.

“Go ahead.”

– How many times exactly?

“…Pardon?”

– I still can’t believe that you’re only twenty-three as an appraiser. Is this your second life or something? Or is it your third?

“…”

I couldn’t answer. It was fortunate that it was a phone call, or he would have seen my frozen expression.

– Was it not amusing?

“Yes.”

– Ugh, is this why the kids don’t go out drinking with me? Anyway, I’ll contact them again.

Click.

After hanging up, I checked the time and realized it was close to midnight already.

I woke up feeling tired and left home the next morning.

‘I wonder if he’s doing well?’

The second floor of an old villa. It’s Park Junpyo’s house.

“Oh? Hyung, you’re here?”

“What? Did you sleep here?”

“Yes… I had a lot of work to do.”

With messy hair and sleepy eyes, Park Junpyo hadn’t even bothered to get up and wash.

Despite my presence, he remained fixated on the laptop open on the makeshift desk in the living room.

I clicked my tongue when I saw various books and stacks of papers scattered around.

“Oh? You’re here?”

Coming out of the bathroom, Park Junpyo dried his hair roughly with a towel. Seeing him like that, I couldn’t help but smile.

‘I should get him something tasty.’

“Sit there. Have you eaten? What can I get you?”

As he said that, Junpyo opened the fridge, but it was empty. He looked embarrassed, glancing at me.

“Haha, how about some ramen?”

“No, let’s order something. I’ll pay.”

“Oh, really?”

“Still, you’re a guest, so I should treat you.”

“Okay. What do you want to eat?”

“I want… Jokbal! No, Bossam!”

[PR/N: Jokbal is Braised Pig’s Trotters & Bossam is Korean Boiled Pork Wrap]

“Let’s go with Bossam. I’ll pay. Hey! No, I made a lot of money last time. Let me pay!”

After I finished paying for the delivery with my own money, I pulled out two thick white envelopes from my arms.

“It’s your daily wage until you enter the office. Technically, you’re doing the work I assigned to you.”

Completely unexpected, his eyes widened. I purposely didn’t mention it to see his reaction.

Although Junpyo had received a considerable sum for his previous job, I’ve noticed over time that it seems like he’s spending all the money, feeding and lodging Myeongsu with it.

Despite not having fully recovered from his injuries, seeing him work so diligently, how could I stay still as his boss?

“Well… uh… still.”

“Woof! Woof!”

At that moment, a dog from the next room walked out and barked at me to pick it up.

It was the dog from the last operation, and now it was being raised by Mr. Junpyo. Yang Jiwon said she couldn’t keep it because she was away from home too much.

“Take it.”

Handing one of the envelopes to the hesitant Junpyo, I smiled as he happily accepted the other one.

“Wow… you’re giving us this much?”

“Wow!! I haven’t done anything yet… Hyung! I love you!”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

While I pushed away Junpyo trying to hug me, he hugged the retriever next to him and gave it a series of kisses on its face.

“I’m telling you to work hard, because when you’re motivated, you’re more efficient.”

“I’ll work hard! No, I’ll be the best!”

“Me too!”

You can almost see the fire in his eyes. Indeed, money is everything.

“That’s right.”

“Wait a minute! This isn’t how it’s supposed to be! Hey! No, Boss!”

The sudden change in titles. I chuckled.

“Oh! Boss! From now on, I’ll call you Boss!”

“Boss! Then, I should have paid for the delivery with my money! Not you!”

“I did it to make you feel good today. Enjoy it. And because I have a lot to order.”

“Just tell me anything you like!”

“I don’t need anything fancy, just find me a decent office space. Oh, somewhere not too far from Yongsan.”

“Not too far from Yongsan… Okay!”

“And this, it’s a list of non-appraised items floating around in the market. Please take a look at it, mark any special notes for each item, and organize them separately with client information.”

As I tossed nearly 20 sheets of paper to him, Junpyo’s face turned contemplative as he skimmed through the list of non-appraised items.

“…Didn’t you just tell me to enjoy myself earlier?”

“Enjoyment comes from enjoying your work.”

Where in the world can you just relax and only take money? Everything in life is like that.

Ring- Ring- Ring-

[Inspection Department, Team 3 Leader Oh Geomsu]

‘What’s happening this early in the morning?’

Click.

“Yes, this is Kim Woogil.”

– This is Oh Geomsu. I contacted you urgently because there’s something I need to tell you.

“Go ahead.”

– Well… Didn’t I mention before the operation that it seemed like Congressman Chae and Taejin Faction were connected?

“Yes.”

– Congressman Chae Jungkook has come because of this recent incident.

That’s a bit surprising. It’s still too early for any details to come out, yet he’s already here knowing about Taejin Faction.

– Um… Congressman Chae said he wants to see you in person.

“… Me?”

– Yes, would you… would you like to meet him?

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]

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