Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Registration Assessment (1)
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Special Disaster and Security Management Association.
It was a fancy name, but nobody actually called it that.
It was the organization commonly known as the ‘Awakener Association’.
Awakeners who had been chosen by a Constellation and granted a Stigma could apply to the Association to receive a registration card.
Of course.
This ‘registration card’ itself didn’t mean much.
When the gates first opened, the country was nearly obliterated, weakening the government’s authority to the point where the registration card was practically useless.
“Damn, it’s packed.”
Despite this, a crowd of Awakeners was waiting in front of the Association’s headquarters in Yeouido to undergo the assessment for their registration cards.
The reason why Awakeners from all over the country gathered for a meaningless piece of paper.
The reason was quite simple.
‘Because you get better scouting offers from guilds once you have a registration card.’
To put it simply, it was like listing a product at an auction house.
One or two-star Awakeners with good assessment results would reportedly receive scout offers from major guilds with exceptional terms.
The opposite was, well, not worth mentioning.
‘Not that I plan on joining a guild.’
He had another motive for coming here.
“Well then, since I have some time to kill… I should sell off these Stigma Stones first.”
He headed to the Stigma Stone purchasing office attached to the Association’s main building.
He handed two sacks filled with Stigma Stones to an employee with a business smile.
One was from his time partying with Lee Shin-hyeok, and the other was from the gate yesterday.
“Based on the market price for November 8th, 2020, it’s 1,440,000 won. Would you like to be paid in cash?”
“Please deposit it into my account.”
Getting it in cash would feel better, but there was a risk of losing it.
‘Can’t have that.’
It was a huge sum, over a million won.
He would absolutely not lose it.
“After income tax, that will be 1,152,000 won.”
“Fuck.”
“Excuse me?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
*A twenty percent income tax? You goddamn robbers.*
“Haa.”
A deep frustration heated his head, but he suppressed his anger with superhuman patience.
He would have preferred to sell through an illegal route that didn’t deduct taxes, but that could get him into real trouble.
‘The illegal sale of Stigma Stones is regulated even more strictly than drugs.’
No matter how far its authority had fallen, the Association was still, for all intents and purposes, the nation’s largest institution.
If he got caught, it wouldn’t just end with a tax issue.
“Tsk.”
Oh-jin clicked his tongue and took the receipt.
Now all he had left was the one Stigma Stone harvested from the variant.
‘I need to watch the market a bit before selling this one.’
While regular Stigma Stones had an established international market price, a variant’s was different.
It would be more profitable to gather some information before selling it.
“Let’s see… it’s about time.”
He checked the time and saw his registration assessment was approaching.
Oh-jin walked toward the main building.
“Awakener with waiting number 57.”
“Yes.”
*Thud, thud.*
Oh-jin, who had been waiting in the waiting area, stood up when he heard his number being called.
“Which constellation do you belong to?”
A staff member with a thoroughly business-like air asked as he mechanically filled out a form.
“The Lyra Constellation.”
“The Lyra Constellation…?”
The employee tilted his head and scanned a chart next to him.
“…Huh?”
His eyes widened as he examined the chart.
“W-Wait a moment. Could you please repeat that? Which constellation did you say?”
*Clatter!*
The employee shot up from his chair and asked in an urgent voice.
As if he had expected this reaction, Oh-jin opened his mouth with a calm expression.
“The Lyra Constellation. L-Y-R-A.”
“L-L-Lyra… then, d-don’t tell me…”
“Yes.”
He nodded with a slight smile.
“I am an Apostle of Vega, the Weaver Girl.”
“……!!!”
The employee’s jaw dropped.
“P-Please wait just a moment!”
He quickly turned and scurried off somewhere.
*Murmur, murmur.*
The surrounding gazes focused on him.
“Ha.”
Oh-jin let out a short, dry laugh and clicked his tongue.
He had expected this reaction, but experiencing it firsthand still made him chuckle.
‘Is this the power of a Polaris name?’
He had actually debated whether or not to reveal that he was an Awakener of the Lyra Constellation.
Even revealing a Zodiac constellation caused quite a stir, so he could only imagine the chaos that would ensue if he announced he was one of the mere ten or so ‘Apostles of Polaris’ in the entire world.
Considering the countless annoyances that would follow, he could have chosen to live like a loser hiding his power, just like a protagonist in a generic isekai novel.
‘But that would be too stupid.’
A name held power.
His foundation was too weak to give up the immense power that came with being an Apostle of Polaris.
Beyond just money, there were connections, information, and various other privileges.
Thinking about the future, there were more than a few things he needed.
‘And to solve that.’
Power.
He needed the title of an Apostle of Polaris, a title no one could ignore.
“Um… this might take a little while. Could you please come this way and wait?”
The employee who had run off returned and asked politely.
The mechanical, business-like demeanor he’d shown at first was gone.
‘Right, this is the power of influence.’
*Smirk.*
Oh-jin raised the corner of his mouth and nodded.
“Please follow me.”
The employee led the way.
“What’s going on?”
“What happened?”
He could feel people murmuring and staring at him from all around, but he simply ignored them.
*-Click.*
“You can wait inside here.”
The place the employee guided him to was a waiting room labeled ‘Special Suite’.
“Understood.”
He gave a slight nod and entered the waiting room.
“…Hm?”
Inside, a young man with short blond hair and a somewhat thuggish impression was sitting there.
“Who’s that?”
The blond young man asked the employee as if addressing a servant.
“Ah, Awakener Park Jeong-woo, you were here. Well… there were some circumstances, so we had to escort him here.”
“What circumstances?”
“Well…”
The employee glanced nervously at Oh-jin.
*-Ring!*
Just then, a bell rang through the room.
“I-I have urgent business, so I must be going!”
“Hey, explain…”
*Slam!*
The employee closed the door as if fleeing.
“……”
“……”
An awkward silence fell over the room, now occupied by just the two of them.
‘Who the hell is that guy?’
Oh-jin narrowed his eyes, looking at the blond young man called Park Jeong-woo.
He was sitting on the sofa as if he owned the place, glaring in this direction.
He briefly considered striking up a conversation but quickly decided to ignore him.
‘Probably some rookie from a major guild.’
He’d heard that sometimes Awakeners who were already part of a guild would take the registration assessment to build their reputation.
Seeing as he was in the special suite, he was likely one of them.
‘More importantly.’
Oh-jin’s eyes turned to a table in the corner of the waiting room.
On the table, an array of snacks, cakes, and simple refreshments were laid out like a dessert buffet.
And that wasn’t all. The mini-fridge next to it was stocked with various drinks and even alcohol.
‘This… is all free, right?’
It was probably put there for people to eat while they waited.
‘A buffet.’
Holy shit, a buffet.
He’d only ever seen them in pictures; this was the first time he’d seen one in person.
—A thrill.
A tingling sensation spread down his spine.
‘How much is all of this worth?’
The cakes and snacks displayed on the fancy plates looked incredibly expensive at a glance.
‘This…’
He couldn’t resist.
No,
He *shouldn’t* resist.
He couldn’t pass up a chance to fill his stomach for free.
*-Clink, clink.*
He piled his plate high with cakes and snacks.
*Munch, munch.*
Not knowing when the employee might return, he shoveled the cakes and snacks into his mouth in a hurry.
“Hehehe. This is awesome.”
He wasn’t particularly fond of sweets, but thinking it was all free made that irrelevant.
“…Ha.”
Park Jeong-woo, who had been watching him devour the plate’s contents like a wild animal, let out a dry laugh.
He was ignored.
‘Are there any bags here?’
Having cleared three plates in an instant, Oh-jin looked around for a bag.
‘I should pack up the rest and take it with me.’
It was all put here to be eaten anyway, wasn’t it?
There shouldn’t be a problem if he took it.
‘Hehehe, my dear sister is going to be so happy.’
She rarely had the chance to eat desserts like these, so she would be even more delighted.
As he was imagining Ha-eun’s smile—
“What kind of beggar are you?”
*Thump!!*
Park Jeong-woo, who had been watching with a frown, roughly propped his feet up on the table.
“……”
Oh-jin put down the cake he was eating and lifted his head.
Looking at Park Jeong-woo, who was glaring at him with sharp eyes, he let a smirk play on his lips.
“Hmm.”
Oh-jin leaned back leisurely on the sofa and crossed his legs.
“Quite the audacious fellow.”
His tone changed.
He spoke in a grave voice.
“It’s good to see the youth of today so full of spirit.”
It wasn’t just his voice.
As if a switch had been flipped, Oh-jin’s expression, gestures, and the very atmosphere around him transformed in an instant.
The image of him greedily devouring the plates vanished like a mirage, replaced by the profound aura of a reclusive master.
“What nonsense are you…”
“—Do you know who I am, boy?”
*Flinch.*
Park Jeong-woo’s shoulders trembled.
“…Who are you?”
“Hmph. It seems this is what happens when I don’t make public appearances often.”
*Heh heh heh.*
He chuckled like an old man and leisurely crossed his arms.
“Still, I would have thought someone who was guided to the special suite would have recognized me.”
“……”
Park Jeong-woo’s lips were sealed tight as he clenched his fists, a nervous look on his face.
‘Who is he?’
Judging by his confident demeanor, he seemed to be a well-known figure, but he couldn’t recall a single face.
‘From the way he talks, he sounds like some old man…’
Come to think of it, he had heard something before.
That some high-ranking Awakeners who surpassed the 9-star level could have their physical age become younger.
‘Sh-Shit.’
*Gulp.*
Sensing that something was very wrong, Park Jeong-woo clenched his fists with a tense expression.
Thinking about it, this man, like himself, had been escorted to the ‘special suite’.
That meant he was no ordinary Awakener.
“Which guild do you belong to, young man?”
“I-I’m…”
“Speak up.”
“…Huh?”
“Your words have been rather short from the start.”
*Heh heh.*
He let out a good-natured laugh as he narrowed his eyes.
“……!!”
Goosebumps spread down his spine.
Seeing the chilling glint in those narrowed eyes, Park Jeong-woo instinctively half-rose from his seat.
‘Wh-What is this?’
It was like staring into an endless, black sky—an overwhelming vastness.
How could a person change so drastically with just a single look?
He couldn’t even tell if this was the same person who had been wolfing down cake just moments ago.
“I-I am… from the Pandinus Guild, sir.”
“Pandinus, you say.”
A guild formed by Awakeners of the Scorpio Constellation.
It was famous enough to be ranked among Korea’s top 10 guilds.
‘The guild master’s name was Kang Chan-hyeok, wasn’t it?’
Kang Chan-hyeok of a Thousand Poisons.
He was one of Korea’s representative Awakeners, though perhaps a bit below the top tier, he was still quite famous.
If one had to rank him, he’d probably just barely make it into the top 30.
Considering there were tens of thousands of Awakeners in Korea alone, his skill was undeniable.
“Ah, so it’s that fellow Chan-hyeok’s guild.”
He nodded, gazing into the distance with a nostalgic air.
“…D-Do you know the guild master, sir?”
Nope.
Never met him.
“We used to do everything together—share meals, go to the sauna, you name it!”
“S-Sauna…?”
“Heh heh. To think that sprightly young lad has become a respectable guild master.”
As he continued to speak, Park Jeong-woo’s face grew paler and paler.
“We should have a drink together soon. Ah, could you pass on my regards to that Chan-hyeok fellow later? He’ll know who I am if you mention the name ‘Kwon Jin-oh.’”
“Th-That is, I, um…”
He trembled, his face ashen.
*-Thud!!*
He dropped to his knees and bowed his head low.
“I-I apologize for my rudeness in failing to recognize a person of your stature!!!!”
“Heh heh. Don’t mind it. A young man can make mistakes.”
Oh-jin smiled benevolently and lightly patted Park Jeong-woo’s shoulder.
“No, sir!!! I-I have made a grave error…”
“Hmm. If you truly feel that way, could you do me a small favor?”
“I will do anything you ask, sir!!!”
Park Jeong-woo bowed his head respectfully and shouted in a booming voice.
“In that case.”
Oh-jin extended a hand, pointing to the table still laden with cakes and snacks.
“Could you fetch a bag and pack up everything that’s left over there?”
“……”