Return of the Irregular Appraiser -
Chapter 1
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – ChiSync]
Chapter 1: Regression
“Shit! Shit!”
The curses kept coming out of my mouth.
The realization that I can’t be a real appraiser unless I awaken my magic.
Facing the fact that no matter how much I rebelled, the outcome remained unchanged, I felt like I was going crazy.
Even in this era where more than half of Earth’s population has awakened, I couldn’t awaken.
Even with the development of artificial awakening devices, nothing changed for me, it didn’t work for me as it did for others.
Everyone around me awakened one by one, but I didn’t.
I tried like a madman, thinking that one day it would be my turn. Even in desperate situations, I stood strong, I didn’t let go of my book even when it was difficult to move my body.
But guess what? Even now, on the brink of death, I couldn’t become a true appraiser.
“You son of a bitch! Chief, please hold on a little longer!”
Our group of excavators, who had been collecting artifacts while exploring the ruins of an ancient civilization, was on the verge of annihilation.
If I had been an awakener, if I had awakened earlier, would the outcome have been different? No, it would have. At the very least, I wouldn’t have been so powerless.
“Berlin… not the Berlin Gate. Cough!”
The chief, who was injured and was leaning on me for support, stopped me
“It’ll take an hour. If we can just get past the gate, we can survive too!”
It was our final mission. Under the shadow of Salvation, I rolled around like a dog. Once this mission was complete, the promised reward would be a long rest for all the team.
But that rest was to be a death sentence? To think that the end of our long and loyal service would be betrayal and upheaval.
I couldn’t let the chief go like this. He was the one who showed me that even in my world, which was only filled with dark clouds, there was also a clear sky.
“We’re totally screwed. It seems like there’s a traitor in Salvation. The Berlin Gate is dangerous.”
“Is there really a Traitor? They didn’t abandon us, did they?”
“Don’t go getting so suspicious of everyone. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. Let’s go to the Shanghai Gate first. Please… I’m begging you.”
Even though my body was in shambles, I nodded.
If it’s not the gate leading to Berlin but the one leading to Shanghai, we’ll have to travel for another week from here.
Can we really evade their pursuit?
The only fortunate thing is that the chief is an exceptional awakener, and thanks to the artifacts he possesses, my body is gradually recovering.
“I’m grateful that you’re here. Woogil. Is this my destiny?”
“Do you still have the energy to joke around in this situation?”
“Hahaha… Cough!”
“Don’t laugh. We don’t know when we’ll encounter enemies. We need to conserve our strength.”
“I feel reassured.”
The chief was the first person to extend a hand to me, while living like a cripple because I couldn’t awaken.
If he hadn’t taken me with him as part of his excavation team, I would have collapsed long ago.
Exploring the ruins of ancient magical civilizations and appraising artifacts was another joy for me and became an opportunity for my development.
The Tomb of the King.
The tomb of the King ‘Teraunus’ who led the golden age of the ancient magical civilization. Our excavation team’s final mission was to find the artifacts here.
But little did we know that this would be our final mission as well.
Cough!
“Are you okay?”
“Damn it, Woogil. The book…”
The leader took the book out of his pocket with trembling hands and handed it to me.
An old, worn-out book.
The only thing we managed to retrieve from the king’s tomb after so much hardship was Teraunus’s autobiography, just this one.
If we had obtained magnificent treasures or artifacts, perhaps the regret would have been lessened. But to lose all our comrades and face death just to get a measly book like this… it felt suffocating.
“…What on earth is this!”
“The book… We must decode it to the end. You… can do it. I chose you also because of your tenacious personality.”
“Please stop talking! We’re almost there.”
“Woogil.”
Despite my concerns, the chief didn’t stop talking.
“If by any chance we survive, let’s retire for real now. It seems like those who envy our abilities have started to move. Let’s go back to Korea. Let’s go back to our hometown and live quietly.”
I silently nodded my head. Instead of replying, I briskly moved my feet towards the Shanghai Gate.
“Is it safe here?”
“Yeah, there’s someone trustworthy here. We should be able to cross the gate secretly.”
Fortunately, the chief’s condition had improved slightly during our journey to this place.
I was tense at the thought that we might be targeted even at the Shanghai Gate, but luckily the person we met there smoothly sent us back to Earth.
A sense of relief flooded over me as I set foot on Earth’s soil. Now, I thought, only thing that was left was to get back to Korea.
“…Damn it.”
But hope quickly turned into despair.
Shortly after crossing into China, Salvation’s pursuers immediately caught up with us.
“How on earth!”
“They say you can know the depths of the water but not the depths of a person’s heart… Sorry. I trusted him… Seems like he gave up our information.”
I wonder if they thought they were sure to catch him on Earth, not in another dimension.
With a futile expression, the chief handed me a scroll.
“This is… It’s a translated version of ancient texts and historical information that I personally compiled. It should help you decipher the autobiography.”
“Why are you giving this to me?”
“I’ll keep the pursuers at bay. I’ve always wanted to pass on all my emotional secrets to you someday. I’m sorry I can only give you this. Woogil.”
“No, you can’t! Chief! Chief!!”
Like a testament, with those words, the chief threw me over the waterfall.
In the distance, seeing the Salvation pursuers who looked like blurry dots and the chief turning back with a smile until the end, I resented my own helplessness.
As someone who wasn’t an awakener, I had no choice. I was just swept away by the rushing current.
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – ChiSync]
Chwak―!
The only thing I could do was hold on tightly to the chest containing the book and autobiography the chief had given me, to ensure I didn’t lose them.
After being swept away for a long time, I was rescued by villagers from a small mountain village and settled there.
Having lived abroad many times, Chinese wasn’t particularly difficult for me.
I didn’t consider returning to Korea.
With the whole world under their sphere of influence, I was sure that every smuggling flight to Korea was already monitored by Salvation.
We had worked under them for several years, and now they were suddenly trying to bury us…
No, was there really a traitor trying to eliminate us?
Disguised, I worked as a laborer in the small village, and whenever I had spare time, I relentlessly studied to decipher the book.
Although deciphering ancient languages wasn’t my specialty, I had a fair amount of knowledge, and the chief’s translated version of the ancient text and the history book of the ancient civilization were of great help.
[I, Teraunus, king of the ancient magical civilization and a wizard of truth, begin my autobiography as I look down from the Mountain of Time.]
I worked day and night to interpret this autobiography perfectly.
[In the grand flow of our lives, we move as if time and space are intertwined in a magical dance. I started much ahead than others from that starting point. Because I have eyes that pierce through all truths.]
While it was interesting as it was an autobiography written by the king who led the ancient magical civilization at its peak, that was all it was.
Literally an autobiography. Can this really be considered an artifact?
When it comes to appraising artifacts, records from the past are significant evidence. While this may be true, our excavation team didn’t endure all that hardship just to obtain that.
‘No, if it’s an ancient book written by Teraunus, surely his legacy must be preserved. Surely…’
With that hope in mind, I settled in this small village for two years.
I thought I had concealed my existence thoroughly, but Salvation’s trackers had found their way here.
I quickly understood the reason. The recent appraisals I had been helping with, evaluating items occasionally brought in by the villagers, had become a source of trouble.
I thought I had gotten to know them over the course of two years, and here they betrayed me.
Was it because I was getting older that my guard and heart had weakened?
As I fled, the village was swiftly reduced to ruins. It seemed like they had killed everyone to silence them, probably to hide my existence.
“Darn it, who in Salvation is trying so hard to erase our excavation team?”
The Salvation I knew wasn’t this corrupt. There must be someone orchestrating the desire to kill our excavation team.
But before thinking about that, survival was the priority.
If it weren’t for the shrewdness I’ve practiced as a excavator, I would have been caught.
By noticing the suspicious behavior of the villagers, I was able to escape beforehand.
I immediately headed to the nearby harbor on my motorcycle. In preparation for such an event, I had been bribing the captain at the port consistently for two years.
Sigh.
Salvation’s pursuit wouldn’t end until they found my body. I might have to live my whole life in fear. Perhaps someday I’ll slip through Salvation’s pursuit.
But at least I am determined to fulfill the chief’s last request. And to do that, I need to find a safe place.
“You’re here.”
“When you arrive in Korea, I will let you know the location where 500,000 yuan is placed. Now, there is no need to return to China again.”
“Haha. Are you sure?”
“You think I’d lie after all the money I’ve given you?”
“Alright. Just trust me and rest.”
Although the captain told me to rest, I couldn’t relax for even a second until the ship departed and arrived.
“Even if I die, I’ll decipher this autobiography to the end.”
What could this autobiography possibly be that all our members had to die for it? It was unfair, but I had to unravel that secret.
After arriving in Korea and reaching the safe house, my tension finally melted away.
As my body relaxed and my breath quickened, tears streamed down my face.
I felt a sense of relief after finally returning home but at the same time, I was filled with anger and frustration.
“Haaaaa…”
Lying on the sofa in the dusty underground room, I pondered for a long time.
The gritty texture at my fingertips.
I took out the only possession left in my arms, the autobiography of Teraunus.
“I will… interpret it all. Perfectly.”
* * *
Three more years passed.
I invested a total of five years, two in China and three in Korea, to ensure there were no gaps, errors, or mistakes in interpreting the ancient language.
In addition to the time it took to hide my identity, this book was particularly tricky to decipher.
Unlike common languages, ancient languages have many variations in interpretation, and they change greatly depending on the time period.
It was a feast of highly encrypted sentences that required not only knowledge of ancient languages but also a good understanding of the history of ancient civilizations in general to decipher.
But in the end, I deciphered it all.
I placed the autobiography on the clean desk and unfolded the last page.
[… And so, as my life comes to an end, so does my story. But the truth continues forever. My magic, my wisdom, my teachings are engraved here. To the one who reads this, if you understand my story, there will be a gift. To you, with infinite potential, our story does not end with the last sentence of this autobiography.]
The story on the last page was quite significant.
It seemed like all the stories up to now were trying to tell me something.
“It doesn’t end with the last sentence?”
Finally, I turned over the rather thick last page of the book and closed it.
In that moment,
Woong—
The book began to glow with a faint blue light, its intricate mana circuitry glowing.
“Ugh…!”
It felt as though something was being sucked into my body.
An inexplicable sense of buoyancy enveloped me.
“I did it. Finally…!”
Thud! Thud! Thud!!
At that moment, the usually quiet front door creaked loudly as the latch fell off.
“There you are. Kim Woogil.”
A man dressed in black, with only his eyes visible, approached me holding a long sword.
The scars around his eyes, the dragon pattern engraved on the hilt of the sword, a style of attire I had never seen before.
‘Who is this?’
In a brief moment, I scanned him quickly, but the information I could gather was limited.
“You’ve been hiding persistently. It’s time to die.”
The only thing the man wanted from me was death.
Puook—
“Cough…!!”
My head went white as a dizzying pain shot through my heart.
As blood flowed profusely and the metallic smell filled my mouth, a single message floated into my hazy vision.
[You can turn back time.]
[Will you go back?]
Unable to speak due to the blood filling my throat, I simply nodded.
[Turning back time.]
With that brief message, my vision faded to black.
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – ChiSync]
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