Return of the Irregular Appraiser
Chapter 13

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – GooGooGaGa]

Chapter 13: Revenge (5)

“Let go of this!!”

“Sir! What the hell is this all of a sudden!”

Without any of Kang’s subordinates being able to do anything, they were restrained by inspection team members, banging their heads on the desk and shouting curses incessantly.

“These bastards! Do you know who I am? If I get taken away like this, your heads will roll!!”

“I don’t know who you are. We are just carrying out our duties.”

Despite the fierce glare from CEO Kang, I didn’t bat an eye, instead, I smirked.

“You seem quite confident there. Do you think you can get away?”

Oh Geomsu said to Dr. Park.

Dr. Park obediently put on the handcuffs, looking resigned or unconcerned.

“I don’t know why I’m being taken away, but I’ll cooperate.”

A face that didn’t even consider resistance. Calm, as if this wasn’t the first or second time experiencing such a thing.

It was clear that he knew resisting and arguing wouldn’t do him any good.

“Why? Is it because you already embezzled money? Or is there someone covering for you?”

“It’s not like that.”

Oh Geomsu glanced at Dr. Park, clicked his tongue, before turning to Kang Chanwook.

He might be quite excited about having gotten to Kim Woogil, so there might be something to leverage.

However, before he could even go, Kim Woogil had already completely opened his lid.

“Why? If you sold Ellaris’s necklace for 1.1 billion won, you made a lot of money, right? Just spend a few months in prison and then come out comfortably?”

“…You, how did you…?”

His eyes were so bloodshot they seemed about to burst.

If his arms hadn’t been restrained by the inspection team members, he would have punched me in the face already.

“I did a little research because you cheated me out of it, but it’s up for auction, right?”

Kang Chanwook smirked in response to my words.

“…Ha! Quite competent, Woogil? Huh? Why? Are you angry because you sold it for 100 million and not 1.1 billion? Huh?”

“No. Mr. Kang. No.”

I chuckled, placing both hands on Kang Chanwook’s restrained shoulders.

“…You son of a bitch. You should’ve looked into it more carefully before buying.”

“What?”

At my unsettling words, Kang Chanwook’s pupils shook for the first time.

Enjoying his change of mood, I slowly revealed the truth.

“That… was fake.”

I whispered into his ear.

His facial muscles twisted as if he couldn’t believe the fact.

“You crazy bastard. If you’re going to lie, at least do it properly. Every expert in China confirmed it was genuine. But you’re saying it’s fake?”

“That’s right. It’s fake.”

Then, Dr. Park, who had been silent in the background, finally spoke out.

“Nonsense!! Are you saying I couldn’t recognize a fake of Ellaris’s work? It is real!”

“You’re too confident in your own abilities. If that wasn’t fake, you would quietly let it pass. But if it’s fake, well… It’s time for the reaction.”

Ring ring ring!!

Kang Chanwook’s phone began to ring loudly.

Unable to take out his phone due to being handcuffed, Oh Geomsu took it out from his pocket instead.

“Answer it.”

Kang Chanwook’s eyes shook wildly as he checked the number on the screen.

Ding.

Oh Geomsu pressed the call button instead and placed the phone next to Kang Chanwook’s mouth.

A rough voice came through.

Broken Korean filled with curses, accompanied by death threats if the money wasn’t returned.

Ding.

The mighty Kang Chanwook remained speechless and dumbfounded as Oh Geomsu ended the call.

“This… bastard…”

“Is it true? Is it really fake-”

“It’s real! This incompetent bastard!!”

Kang Chanwook’s anger immediately turned towards Dr. Park.

His eyes, blood vessels ready to burst, glared as if he could kill.

“No way…”

Shocked, Dr. Park slumped down, and Kang Chanwook’s uneasy eyes began to dart around.

“Come to think of it, there were rumors that the auction house was connected to the Chinese Triad… You should have booked a flight to Korea immediately, right? Be grateful to me. If you’re caught by Salvation, at least you won’t die.”

But even while in the Salvation facility, every day would be filled with anxiety.

The fear of the Chinese men inside wanting to kill him, and the pressure of those who might target him when he leaves the facility.

He wouldn’t be able to repay the money. All his accounts had been frozen by Salvation.

“Do you think… I’ll just let this go? Huh? Who do you think is behind me?!”

“I don’t know who’s behind you, but worry about yourself.”

It was like watching a frightened dog yelping.

Ignoring him, I gestured to Oh Geomsu and Kim Junghyun.

“Take him away.”

“Yes!”

“You bastard!! I won’t let you off! I’ll definitely kill you!!”

He kept yelling until the end, but I wouldn’t see him again.

I’m sure his connections will be traced back to this auction and this man, Dr. Park.

Now it’s up to Mr. Oh Geomsu.

The bastard and his subordinates were dragged out by inspection team members, leaving only me, Kim Junghyun and Oh Geomsu.

“There are no bugs, so you can relax.”

Oh Geomsu had already instructed the staff to thoroughly inspect the office. Before starting the search in earnest, the staff were temporarily sent outside, leaving the three of us facing each other.

“I came at the request of Hunter Kim Junghyun, but it’s more serious than I thought.”

Oh Geomsu, who had heard the previous conversation through the listening device I brought, shook his head and flipped through the contract on the table.

“This isn’t something someone does just once or twice.”

“It’s not just a problem with this office.”

At my words, his gaze quickly swept over me.

“How did you end up signing such a contract in a place like this?”

“…Let’s just say it’s the innocence of youth.”

“The innocence of youth… But it’s only been about a year, hasn’t it?”

“A year is enough for the world to change.”

“That’s true, but…”

Since the gates opened and the awakened appeared.

Earth had adapted remarkably quickly to repel monsters from other dimensions and establish a system.

It hadn’t even taken a year for the world to change drastically.

‘He doesn’t seem like the type to fall victim to such illegal contracts.’

It was the same at the hospital and here.

It’s hard to believe he’s a young man in his early to mid-20s, as calm and relaxed as he is.

Even if catching thugs at the hospital is understandable, the way he handled Kang Chanwook was definitely not something an ordinary young man in his early to mid-20s could do.

‘No,it doesn’t make sense that he was able to recognize Ellaris’s masterpiece in the first place.’

I heard it from Kim Junghyun. It was Kim Woogil who discerned the forgery of Ellaris’s work.

At first, I thought it was nonsense, but facing him in person, it seemed plausible.

After all, Kim Junghyun was not someone who would lie about such things.

“He’s amazing… That an outsider, not even a graduate of the academy, could have such skills… Heh.”

The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t help but think he was amazing.

With that level of skill, why would he hide himself? If he wanted to, he would be flooded with offers from all over the world.

Although I had no intention of revealing his identity at Kim Junghyun’s request, one thing was certain.

“If that skill isn’t just hype, it will eventually come to light. As the leading appraiser representing South Korea.”

I looked at Kim Woogil. Who would have thought my past connection would lead to this opportunity? This was a chance given to me by Kim Junghyun. A chance to get closer to the future’s top appraiser.

“It was nice to meet you. I hope next time we meet, it’s not as the head of the inspection team, but as Oh Geomsu.”

I stood up and said.

“You were introduced by Kim Junghyun, so you’re welcome anytime.”

The two men shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

“Thank you for your help today.”

“What did I do? Haha. Feel free to call me anytime if you need anything.”

“Yes. I’ll be in touch soon.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

After Oh Geomsu left, Kim Junghyun, who was sitting quietly, seemed to have something to say and approached me.

“What is it?”

“Could you possibly appraise minerals as well?”

“…Minerals?”

“Yes. I have something I’d like to recommend to you. Mr. Park Man-deuk, the head of Appraisal Department 2 at the Property Appraisal Office of the Salvation Korea Branch’s Logistics Support Division, is having difficulty appraising minerals, and I thought you might be able to help.”

If it was a department head from Salvation’s Appraisal Division, he held a high position.

“Please tell me more.”

“We obtained a new ore from Sector C of the Herta planet this time. It’s said that when Awakened individuals approach the ore, their abilities are enhanced, so a detailed appraisal is needed.”

“Enhanced abilities…?”

“Yes. It’s an ore that emits a yellow light.”

An ore with the effect of enhancing abilities.

‘It’s an Aura Stone. Surely.’

In my previous life, this had caused an uproar in Korea.

‘I didn’t expect this connection…’

“I was hesitant to mention it as it’s confidential, but after seeing you today, I thought you’d be okay with it.”

I had to accept this. If I left it alone, it could be disastrous.

“Okay, I’ll check it out.”

“Really? Thank you! I’ll make sure to pay you the appraisal fee.”

“Of course. How about the schedule?”

“I’ll contact the head and coordinate, then let you know.”

“Yes. Please do.”

As Kim Junghyun left, I headed straight home.

My thoughts were extremely complicated throughout the journey.

The Aura Stone. The unfortunate ore that became a bomb not only for Korean awakeners but also around the world.

Normally, it would take another three years for the true value of the ore to be revealed…

‘This time, I’ll appraise it thoroughly myself.’

* * *

This was Kim Junghyun’s first request as a broker.

At the same time, it was an event that could be a major flaw for the Salvation Korea Branch.

To resolve this perfectly, the Aura Stone needed to be appraised properly.

‘The problem is… I’m not exactly an expert in mineral appraisal.’ Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NoᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt website on G𝘰𝘰gle to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

But I couldn’t just ignore the request because of that.

“Tsk.”

Even if I had insight, there was a huge difference between having insight into a completely unfamiliar field and one that I had some knowledge of.

Furthermore, even with insight, explaining it required relevant knowledge. Insight wasn’t an all-knowing ability.

“Sigh… It’s been a while.”

Yongmun-dong. Next to the Trade Center.

When I first came, I went there saying I was looking for Oriental cigarettes.

‘Come to think of it, I need to find D.K too.’

The original purpose was to go to the Ancient Bookstore, but before that, I surveyed the entire Yongmu-dong.

‘As expected… not here.’

To rapidly increase my mana, items like the Oriental tobacco made by D.K were necessary.

Since the new request hadn’t even started yet, and there was some free time, I planned to come to Yongmun-dong often.

“Hello.”

Entering the Ancient Bookstore, I greeted the old woman who owned the place, but as expected…

She seemed uninterested, only waving her hand as if to say to go away, while casually watching TV.

She probably wouldn’t even notice even if someone ran off with a book.

‘I’ll take any minor information about minerals. Let’s see.’

Even if not that, any books about other planets, magic or appraisal related topics would do. In any case, ultimately, reading all the useful ancient books here was my final goal.

I had already checked the titles of all the ancient books here.

Except for five books, I considered the rest useless, but there was one memorable one.

I took out the book next to “The Girl Who Flew the Sky,” the last one he had checked last time.

[Miner’s Mining Diary]

If it’s a diary about mining, there might be some information related to the Aura Stone.

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – GooGooGaGa]

Sᴇarch the NovelFire.net website on G𝘰𝘰gle to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.