REAPER SCANS
Legendary Returner’s Survival Guide
[Translator – TinTin ]
[Proofreader – Harley ]
Chapter 37
“Good. Come here,” Shi-hu ordered.
Jinno shuffled closer. He tried to dodge Shi-hu’s hand, but it was pointless.
Shi-hu casually draped an arm around his shoulder, feigning camaraderie.
Jinno swallowed nervously. The power disparity was immense, like a child confronting a grown man.
“Did you just try to avoid me? Tell me I imagined it, right?”
“......That’s right.”
“Of course I did. You look so vicious, I bet you’re constantly misunderstood. I almost misjudged you myself just now, didn’t I?”
“......”
“Well? Connect already.”
Jinno had no choice if he wanted to survive. He reluctantly produced a small crystal ball from his pocket.
“Is that it?”
“......Yes. It’s a Communication Crystal. Only special Apostles possess them. This artifact can only communicate with ‘That Person’ and—”
“Skip the explanation and activate it.”
Scowling, Jinno flicked the Communication Crystal. It floated upwards, the grey surface slowly illuminating.
“You are now connected to That Person. You can speak now.”
Shi-hu opened his mouth, then hesitated.
A familiar movie scene flashed through his mind.
Grinning, he lowered his voice dramatically and began, “I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want—”
“Enough of the theatrics,” the voice from the Communication Crystal interrupted.
His dramatic recitation was abruptly cut off, but Shi-hu remained composed.
The voice on the other end was deeper than anticipated. The language sounded Korean to Shi-hu. He wondered if he was imagining it for a moment, but the Korean sounded very fluent.
Shi-hu decided to ask, “Are you, by any chance, Korean?”
“Of course not.”
“But your Korean is impeccable.”
“Did you orchestrate this entire charade just to ask me frivolous questions?
For once, Shi-hu was at a loss for words.
“Let’s get down to business,” the voice said.
‘This guy’s no fun,’ thought Shi-hu.
“Tsk.” He clicked his tongue and asked, “Just to be clear, you’re the one they call ‘That Person’, correct?”
“......”
“Cat got your tongue? Why the silence?”
“In that case, are you Jin Shi-hu?”
“That’s rather obvious, isn’t it?”
“The feeling is mutual. Was that really necessary to ask?”
Shi-hu chuckled. ‘Perhaps he's not so dull after all, cracking jokes.’
But Shi-hu had enough of going around in circles.
He cut to the chase, “I’ll be brief. Instead of sending these incompetent fools who can’t even properly use their powers, come yourself.”
“......”
“Let’s make this simple. Do you want to come here, or should I go there? Just a head’s up, if you come yourself, it’ll only be one hit. But if I go, it’ll be ten. Choose wisely. Don’t regret it while I’m pummeling you.”
The 148th Apostle, Jinno, desperately shrieked for him to stop, but the warning was pointless.
Shi-hu reached out and seized Jinno’s face, squeezing tightly.
Splat!
Jinno’s head popped.
The Communication Crystal that was floating in mid-air started dispersing.
A final message, emanating from the disappearing crystal, resonated in Shi-hu’s ears.
“Good luck.”
***
Genre fiction, also known as Pop Fiction, boasts a rich history.
In South Korea, it's often considered synonymous to webnovels, encompassing historical fiction, modern fantasy, classic fantasy, Sci-Fi, and more.
That was how big and broad genre fiction was.
So, how does an aspiring author in South Korea break into the scene?
Traditionally, manuscripts were submitted to publishing houses. However, with the rise of the internet and online serialization, the print book market was decimated.
Now, authors typically submit their work to online publishing agencies or publish directly on amateur webnovel platforms. In South Korea, Kakao Stage and Munpia had a duopoly on the amateur market.
Munpia allowed authors to transition to paid serialization mid-story, while Kakao Stage, after accumulating sufficient chapters, allowed authors to migrate to KakaoPage for paid serialization.
“Big bro, why didn’t you answer my calls yesterday?”
“I was busy, man,” Shi-hu answered, returning after a full day's absence.
Bin updated him on everything that happened over the last day. He had written enough to fill an entire notebook start to finish, and he had already uploaded five chapters.
“Want to check out the comments?” Bin asked.
There was no reason to decline.
“Big bro, I’ve only uploaded five chapters, but the response has been incredible.”
“Let me see.”
Bin pulled up the comments section.
[ShibaShibaDog: You uploaded a new novel! I can't wait to read it.]
[JeongbalsanBearPaw: Probably another bit of trash. What kind of title is ‘Titan’, anyway?]
[PeterParker123: You talentless hack, riding on your sister’s coattails. Get a real job. If you can’t write, just give up. I’m tired of paying for garbage.]
Those were the first comments on Chapter 1, likely posted before even reading. The tone shifted dramatically in the later comments.
[PeterParker123: What the hell? This is incredible.]
[SlaveoftheSun: Dear author, even though it’s your typical isekai, the immersion is off the charts. Great pacing, too. This is unlike any of your previous work.]
[NilliliMamboThe18th: Mr. Shi-hu, what the heck is this? This is way too different from before.]
[LordoftheBasement: Thank you for your hard work. I’m excited for the next chapter.]
The series page view count had already far exceeded 100,000, and the series had a staggering 50,000 likes. Typically, the like rate was about one-tenth of the view count, so this was extraordinary.
A critical metric for webnovels was reader retention. Chapter 1 had 180,000 views, and Chapter 5 had 176,000. The drop-off was minimal, and likes were increasing between chapters. Chapter 5 boasted 70,000 likes.
This was unbelievable.
“Not bad,” Shi-hu remarked.
“Not bad? Big bro, this is phenomenal! There are 4,000 comments across five chapters, 4,000! That’s without any promotion or featuring on the main page. This is going to rewrite the history of Genre Fiction, I guarantee it.”
Shi-hu shrugged it off as Bin excitedly detailed how ‘Titan’ was gaining momentum and spreading rapidly across online communities.
Shi-hu was reading through the comments on Chapter 5 while Bin blabbered on.
The latest comment on it stood out.
[JeongbalsanBearPaw: This Shi-hu mf… I bet he’s using a ghostwriter.]
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – TinTin ]
[Proofreader – Harley ]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
This guy saw right through it, huh?
“Impressive. Readers are truly remarkable,” I commented.
Bin blinked in a daze, offput by my reaction.
“Are you okay, big bro? Doesn’t hearing that bother you?”
“They’re not wrong.”
“That’s true, but… doesn’t it still make you upset?”
“Why should I be? I am using a ghostwriter. This isn’t worth getting riled up about. I’m not a child,” I replied nonchalantly.
I then put on a gentle smile before continuing, “Keep in mind, regardless of what anyone says, ‘Titan’ is the story of those forgotten by the world. Sharing this with the world is the primary objective. Whether people curse at me for using a ghostwriter or even if someone attacks me, honestly, what does it matter?”
After all…
“I have no intention of being a novelist. So don’t fret over these things. Focus on what’s important.”
Bin stared at me, an odd expression on his face.
“Hey, Bin. You can’t be beloved by everyone in the world, but that also means you can’t be despised by everyone either. Don’t focus on the people taunting you. Look at the people cheering you on.”
Bin smiled. He had an expression that read, ‘So this is the kind of man he is.’
“You know, big bro. I’ve been thinking that you’re a rather intriguing individual.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. It makes me wonder what you’ll do in the future.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Bin chuckled awkwardly, “So, did the thing you went to take care of go well?”
“More or less.”
“There are rumors you summoned the Busan City Director General, Busan Police Chief Superintendent General, and the Gwangan Beach Madmen Guild Master into an S Rank Gate. Is that all true?”
I smiled back silently.
***
Meanwhile, Youngsu was on a call with someone.
He spoke softly into his watch, “Is that so?”
“Yes. It seems I’ll be staying here in Switzerland for a while longer.”
“Then we’ll join you as soon as we’ve concluded matters here.”
“I’m sorry. I should be taking care of matters like this myself.”
“No, it’s okay. You shouldn’t have to act yourself to deal with people of such low caliber like Lee Seongjae or the president, Master Jin.”
Song-yi chuckled, “Will you really be okay? I hope my dear Chief Secretary isn’t going buck wild like in the past.”
“Please don’t worry. I am acting only in line to what can be taken care of.”
Youngsu was resolute.
How much had Jin Song-yi and the Salvation Guild done for South Korea so far?
Frankly, it was immeasurable. Whenever a gate appeared that surpassed South Korea’s capabilities, Song-yi was the first person contacted. Whenever a gate appeared anywhere in the world that exceeded a nation’s capabilities, Song-yi was the first person called.
Song-yi was a quintessential cornerstone of South Korea’s status as a major power, yet they had been taking advantage of her.
Youngsu knew it and had remained silent because his Guild Master, Song-yi herself, preferred to avoid conflict.
She was far too compassionate.
He often wished she was just the slightest bit greedier. Shi-hu’s arrival seemed to have ignited that change in her, which was a positive development.
Youngsu was now prepared to address the issues he had long since postponed.
“Thank you, Chief Secretary. Who else could I rely on but you?”
After the brief call, Youngsu deactivated his watch. He looked over at the distinguished-looking man sitting opposite him.
“What were you saying?” Youngsu asked.
“Uh… I was saying that Miss Song-yi moving to Seoul would be a bit difficult… Wouldn’t it be preferable if you, Mr. Youngsu, continued leading the Salvation Guild’s proxy team in Seoul and requested Miss Song-yi’s assistance when clearing Gates? And we can continue to let that slide as a courtesy—”
“Mr. Prime Minister,” Youngsu interrupted.
Seong Gilsu, the current sitting prime minister of South Korea, frowned for a second. He didn’t expect to be interrupted. How could anyone dare to cut off a prime minister?
Gilsu wanted to complain, but he was so shell shocked that he couldn’t.
Youngsu retrieved a cigarette from his coat pocket, held it between his lips, and lit it.
“What do you think you’re—?”
Youngsu exhaled a plume of smoke and gave an impassive stare, silencing Gilsu.
The stare made the Prime Minister uneasy.
The man before him was an A+ Rank Awakener and the Chief Secretary of the Salvation Guild, the most powerful Guild in South Korea. He wasn’t someone to be underestimated. Still, this was outrageous.
“…Could you please put out that cigarette? This is a non-smoking area,” the prime minister requested.
Youngsu softly smiled and chuckled, “Non-smoking area… I see. I didn’t know you were such a law-abiding citizen.”
Still smiling, Youngsu removed the cigarette from his lips and pressed it into a glass of liquor in front of him.
Fizzle.
The sound of the cigarette extinguishing sounded like thunder in Gilsu’s ears.
As a note, this glass of liquor was one freshly poured by Gilsu for Youngsu.
“There’s a concept called mutual respect, and that’s why we’ve been so accommodating until now. But what is this nonsense?” Youngsu glared.
“…Excuse me?”
“A courtesy? Do I look like I’m playing around?”
Gilsu swallowed nervously.
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
