REAPER SCANS
Legendary Returner’s Survival Guide
[Translator – TinTin ]
[Proofreader – Harley ]
Chapter 28
It was a natural question.
Just how vast was the difference in their power that a few taps to her body could produce such a profound effect?
It was so beyond imagination that chills ran down her spine.
However, that was secondary. The important thing was that she had received tremendous help from Shi-hu. He saved her life and enhanced her abilities.
Song-yi plopped down on the sofa.
‘…I’ve received too much even though I’ve yet to do anything for him.’
While overwhelmed by an odd mix of emotions, Song-yi lowered her gaze to her buzzing watch.
The caller was Shi-hu. She answered immediately.
“What’s up? I’m not in Korea yet, but…”
“Jin Tae-seob is dead.”
She was stunned. Did she hear that right?
“…What?”
“I threw him from the 26th floor. There’s no way he survived. I have to ask, why haven't you already killed him yourself?”
It felt like her reality was crumbling.
“You… killed him…?”
“Yeah. I didn't see any reason to keep him alive.”
“......”
“Why? Did you want to keep him alive?”
She couldn't answer easily. At the end of the day, Song-yi was human, and she remembered things that Shi-hu didn't.
Even if Tae-seob was nothing but human trash Shi-hu's memories, Song-yi knew that he wasn't always like that. Of course, those were just tiny fragments amidst memories stained with violence.
Still, those small fragments made it difficult for her to cut him off completely.
At worst, all he wanted was money, and Song-yi had more than enough to spare.
It would have been stranger if Korea's top Awakener couldn't even earn that much. It wasn't called the era of Awakeners for nothing.
There were several reasons why she kept Tae-seob alive. One was that ‘Shi-hu’ had been good to him.
Song-yi was kind, pure, but also resolute—yet she was weak when it came to family. Specifically, she was weak when it came to ‘Shi-hu’.
The 200th Apostle had played the role of Shi-hu flawlessly.
With his immaculate acting, he first lived like a delinquent through and through. However, that delinquent reformed and started being a more upstanding citizen partly due to Tae-seob's influence.
She later learned that his actions had all been calculated, but she didn’t know at the time.
Tae-seob's existence gave Shi-hu stability. Since Song-yi was a hero, she endured it. By sacrificing herself and enduring, her family was stable. That was the real reason.
But he was dead now.
“…Shi-hu.”
“What?”
“Do you think I made a mistake?”
Was it wrong to keep Tae-seob alive?
While the 200th Apostle was pretending to be Shi-hu, Song-yi had her doubts. She could never ignore the sense of dissonance she felt.
But still… to break up her ‘stable family’ just because of that dissonance? It was a gamble she wasn't willing to take.
If Shi-hu was a fake—which he did her turn out to be—then Tae-seob would have been the only blood relative Song-yi had left in the world.
But it was also only natural that the real Shi-hu, who had returned from Titan, couldn't understand this.
For ten years, Song-yi had lived with a fake. The real Shi-hu had no idea what kind of life she had lived.
For a while, the two were silent. They didn't need to say much. They had both been through a lot.
No words, just through the mood and knowing each other’s personality—that was all they needed to guess each other's thoughts with near-perfect accuracy.
They were family.
Shi-hu understood why Song-yi hadn't killed Tae-seob. Song-yi also understood why Shi-hu had killed him. They both had their reasons.
Whether they agreed with each other was another matter, but as family, they would try their best to understand and move on.
After letting out a sigh, Shi-hu said, “The Chief Secretary said he’d take care of it.”
“He did?”
“Yeah.”
“Then it'll be fine.”
“What should we do about the funeral?”
“Do we have to have one?”
At Song-yi’s question, Shi-hu answered firmly, “We have to.”
“Why?”
“Because then all those loan sharks will come flocking.”
Song-yi had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Tae-seob owed a lot of money—not just to acquaintances, but to loan sharks as well.
Song-yi had only paid off some of his debts, so there was still a big unpaid bill outstanding. Who would those who were owed money target next?
It was too obvious.
It was true that Song-yi was Korea's hero, but that could be both a weapon and a weakness.
If it had been Chief Secretary Youngsu, he would have visited all the loan sharks and paid them back. He would have taken care of everything cleanly and easily.
But no matter how much she thought about it, Shi-hu didn't seem like the type to do that. No, it was more like he hadn't even considered it in the first place.
“I don't want to leave any loose ends. Let's just take care of it all in one go.”
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – TinTin ]
[Proofreader – Harley ]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
A man fell from an apartment building and died.
Ju Seong-hyun, a violent crimes detective from the Seoul Gangnam Police Station, stared intently at the scene.
This didn’t look like a simple suicide. He looked back and forth between the broken window and the fallen body.
Something was off.
Anyone could see that he flew far after breaking through the window.
Let’s say he tripped and fell—there was no way he could have flown that far just from tripping.
Seong-hyun’s brows furrowed. He was in a very unpleasant mood.
The reason for his mood was simple. He was told by the higher-ups that this was a suicide case. Or rather, they ordered him to close the case as a suicide.
There was sufficient motive at least.
The deceased, fifty-four-year-old Jin Tae-seob, was a gambling addict.
He gambled everywhere. Domestically, internationally, it didn't matter. Baccarat, Poker, Go-Stop, Blackjack, even One Card. He didn't discriminate when it came to gambling, not caring if it was legal or not.
He was drowning in debt. Personal loans, business loans, casino loans, payday loans, and more. It was as if he were born to gamble—a true degenerate.
The reason this man was able to spend so much money, and continue to borrow more and more, was because of his daughter, Song-yi.
Her credit and Shi-hu’s were his collateral. And he actually did pay back the money somehow, so from the lender's perspective, he was the perfect sucker.
This was the motive. The script was already written.
Fifty-four-year-old Jin Tae-seob, disillusioned from his life of gambling debt, committed suicide by jumping from an apartment building.
Alternatively…
He had gone to see his son, Jin Shi-hu, for help, but to no avail. Overwhelmed by the ever-vanishing money, he took his own life.
Either of these scenarios would work. He could even add a few more details and come up with a third one.
But honestly, despite telling himself that, there were too many things that didn't add up.
Tae-seob was the father of Jin Song-yi, the hero of Korea, but his death was being handled so quietly? They wanted to quietly bury the case like this?
Countless questions arose in his mind, but what could he do? He was a mere peon on the pecking order.
That was when his watch vibrated.
Ju Seong-hyun frowned as he checked the caller ID. It was a familiar name: Lieutenant Kang Hyun-soo. He pressed the accept call button.
“Hey, big bro!”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Are you investigating the death of Jin Tae-seob right now?”
“Yeah. I was just assigned it. Why?”
“The culprit is probably Jin Shi-hu.”
Seong-hyun sighed. “That guy’s a Non-Awakener. You think a Non-Awakener can throw a person that far? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“He could have used an artifact.”
“Hey! You think I’m new to this or something? I already checked. There are no traces of an artifact. He was thrown with pure brute strength.”
“…That’s impossible. Shi-hu is definitely the culprit.”
Seong-hyun sighed again. “Give it a rest, man. By the way, what the hell are you doing down in North Gyeongsang Province that the Commissioner is asking about you? Are you taking bribes down there, too?”
“Bro, what are you talking about? The Commissioner asked about me?”
“Yeah, you punk. He asked me what you’ve been up to—why someone who should be rotting away in Gyeongsang Province is getting mixed up with the Salvation Guild.”
“……”
“I’m begging you, man. If you want to get ass fucked, do it alone. Don’t drag me into this. I’m hanging up.”
As the call ended, Seong-hyun ordered, “Close it as a suicide.”
* * *
Enraged, Hyun-soo slammed his fist on the desk.
Bam—!
Fucking bastards.
The news was already reporting that Tae-seob had committed suicide. It was infuriating.
They actually closed it as a suicide? Those idiots—the culprit was obviously Shi-hu. And the Salvation Guild was definitely involved.
The Salvation Guild was undoubtedly the top guild in South Korea. What would happen if he investigated a crime committed by such a guild? There would be backlash, but what if he could prove their crimes beyond a shadow of a doubt?
A promotion would be guaranteed. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel.
They might try to silence him, but times had changed. It wouldn't be so easy to silence him.
Besides, Song-yi wasn't that kind of person. He didn't know her personally, but he could tell what kind of person she was just by looking at the path she had walked.
After the Great Calamity, Song-yi was a member of the Gate Rescue Team for two years. That delayed her growth compared to other Unique Awakeners.
She also faced ridiculous restrictions, like not being allowed to stay in Seoul. But through it all, she had never made excuses or complained even once.
There was no way someone like her would commit a crime. But her younger brother was different.
To be honest, he had only seen him for the first time recently during the Real Estate Agent Murder Case, but he could tell at a glance that the guy was bad news.
Shi-hu reeked of trouble. With a trail of crimes behind him, he was serial killer-level human trash.
And now, he had killed his own father.
Close it as a suicide? He couldn’t believe Song-yi would resort to such tactics.
Criminals should all be locked up. Awakeners were no exception.
Lost in thought at home, Hyun-soo began gathering information on Shi-hu.
[Jin Shi-hu Spotted Out and About while “Hospitalized”. What is the Truth?]
[The National Hero’s Brother, Who Claimed to Be Recovering, Is Lying to the World…]
[The Prime Suspect in the Real Estate Agent Murder Case in Gyeongbuk Dreamvalley Is the National Hero’s Younger Brother…]
[(Breaking News) Jin Song-yi’s Father Passes Away]
[Who Was Jin Tae-seob?]
[Jin Tae-seob, Why Did He Take His Own Life?]
All sorts of articles popped up.
[Salvation Guild Attempts to Move to Seoul, Ignoring Past Agreements with the Government?]
[South Korea’s SSS-Rank Awakener Lee Seongjae, “Salvation Guild’s Entry into Seoul Must Be Stopped. An Agreement with the Government Is Not Child’s Play!”]
It seemed everyone was working hard behind the scenes.
Hyun-soo was determined to investigate everything about Shi-hu to prove his crimes.
He was about to send a message to his fellow detective asking him to fax over all the information they had on Shi-hu when he suddenly heard a voice.
“Did my warning to stay quiet sound like an empty threat to you?”
Lieutenant Hyun-soo felt a chill run down his spine at the sudden voice.
As he turned his head, he froze. Something cold was pressed against his neck. Something sharp and metal, like a dagger or kitchen knife.
It wasn't difficult for Hyun-soo to identify who it was. He and his assailant had locked eyes.
“…Chief Secretary Yoon Youngsu?” Hyun-soo asked, trembling.
“Why do you keep crossing the line?”
“…Are you insane? This is breaking and enter—”
“What else can I do when you don’t understand what it means to be reasonable?” Youngsu asked with a chilling glare.
Hyun-soo couldn't even speak. He was terrified, goosebumps popping up all over his body.
“Resent me all you want, but if there’s a next life, I suggest you don’t get involved with us again.”
And that was it.
Slash—!
Without a moment's hesitation, Youngsu slit Hyun-soo’s throat.
Blood spurted out, but it was all blocked by a transparent barrier that appeared in front of him.
He turned and took a few steps away to get out of the splash zone, leaving Hyun-soo to bleed out on the floor.
Youngsu watched until Hyun-soo breathed his last, confirming his death. As he did, a man spoke to him.
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