REAPER SCANS
Legendary Returner’s Survival Guide
[Translator – TinTin ]
[Proofreader – Harley ]
Chapter 40
The Texas Gate was originally an S Rank Gate, and Song-yi was the one who cleared it.
Shi-hu was present, and it was he who killed the Apostle. However, the System acted as if he didn't exist, giving all the credit to Song-yi.
While there weren't any bonus rewards, Song-yi found the behavior of the system odd at the time.
That was enough information. There was no need to overthink it.
They were sure she’d receive an unimaginable reward.
"You ready to stir up trouble?" Shi-hu asked.
Now, something needs to be clarified.
Was Youngsu truly acting of his own discretion when he killed Choi Seok-hyun, the President of South Korea, and threatened Lee Seongjae, the most powerful man in Seoul?
Absolutely not. He did it because Song-yi ordered him to.
Ultimately, everything traced back to her.
Song-yi was no figure of pure light. She was a being of murky gray, burdened by heavy responsibilities.
She leaned neither fully into the light nor shadows.
A perfect gray, balanced in the middle.
That was Song-yi.
“I’ll take care of the preparations. Come to Switzerland,” she told Shi-hu.
***
The rest was easy.
Upon arriving in Switzerland, I shared a quick embrace with my sister, who met me at the airport. Then, without a moment to even admire the scenery, we boarded the private jet.
Our destination: the SSS Rank Gate in Bolivia.
On the plane, my sister and I exchanged a long, silent look.
Then, we chuckled.
"Honestly, I'm surprised," she said.
"About what?"
"That you agreed to join me in there, while the whole world is watching."
"It's challenging, but not impossible," I answered.
Truthfully, I was curious. Not to mention, I could enter the Gate undetected.
Sure, with modern technology, my silhouette might get caught on camera, but a hat and mask would easily solve that.
But my sister was different.
She hadn't reached the world of high rollers yet.
The power wielded by Unique Awakeners wasn't an energy ordinary people could use. This applied not only to ordinary people but to mana users as well.
The power my sister wielded, the power of Unique Awakeners, was typically reserved for monsters among monsters who'd reached the ‘Transcendent Stage’. It was usually called Transcendent Ki, and it was a power sourced from the soul itself.
Drawing upon the power within one's soul was no simple feat.
‘Thinking about it, the very existence of these Unique Awakeners is baffling,’ I pondered.
I hadn't encountered other Unique Awakeners yet, but seeing my sister alone was enough for me to gauge it.
They wielded this power without understanding its source, its principles, or its true potential. They were using it blindly.
Typically, Mana was weaker than Natural Ki, and Natural Ki was weaker than Transcendent Ki. That was the natural order.
Those who mastered Mana to the extreme attained Natural Ki, and those who mastered Natural Ki to the extreme attained Transcendent Ki.
However, Earth's Unique Awakeners wielded Transcendent Ki while still at the Mana-using stage.
This was a massive, incomprehensible discrepancy—something I could not wrap my head around.
I couldn't say it directly to my sister, since she was a Unique Awakener herself, but I once called the Doppelgangers I was fighting ‘incompetent fools who can’t even properly use their powers.’
The Doppelgangers not only possessed physiques that transcended their species, but they also had the capacity to wield energy that transcended their species. However, their level of power wasn't even less than that of Natural Ki.
But the reason was simple. Their power was unbalanced, preventing them from accessing its true potential. Their Transcendent Ki was incomplete. Properly cultivated Natural Ki could block, or even overpower, it.
Only in regeneration did they exhibit significant power. In terms of attack or defense, they were lackluster.
However, Awakeners were similar, simply utilizing power that didn't suit their bodies.
Putting aside the Awakeners, the Doppelgangers were… peculiar. Almost as if they were created.
It wasn't a pressing concern. It didn’t matter much since I intended to kill them all anyway.
But Awakeners were different.
‘This will undoubtedly become a problem.’
Unbalanced power came at a significant price.
They might not feel it themselves, but all Awakeners must be paying that price.
And that I did want to know. What exactly were they sacrificing?
That was when my sister interrupted me with the question, “What are you thinking about?”
“......”
“What’s wrong?”
“Hmm. What do you think the necklace around your neck is made of?”
My sister briefly lifted her necklace.
“This? It’s just platinum. It’s also an artifact with several skills.”
“What if it wasn’t platinum, but in fact diamond?”
My sister blinked, her expression asking me what the heck I was saying.
After a moment, she wore a serious expression on her face as she fidgeted with the necklace.
“…I think I understand. You’re saying I don’t recognize the true value of something I possess, right?”
“Yep. What do you think it is?”
In the end, there was only one answer.
“The «Sphere of Light»,” she replied.
“I’ve said it before, but using Transcendent Ki without reaching the Transcendent Stage shouldn’t be possible even if the world turned upside down. Yet, you’re already using it.”
My sister listened intently.
“If you can truly understand the principle behind how Transcendent Ki activates and what the source of its power is, you’ll be a step further than you are now.”
“How can I understand it?”
At her sudden question, I stared at her for a moment.
I had experience teaching others on Titan.
However, teaching Transcendent Ki to someone who hadn't reached the Transcendent Stage? This was some extreme level difficulty task. Not only that, but she couldn’t even properly handle Natural Ki, yet.
With a complicated expression, I continued, “It’s best if you realize it on your own, but there’s a way to force that realization.”
“…What would that be?”
“It’s a bit dangerous.”
My sister smiled, “Danger is my middle name.”
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – TinTin ]
[Proofreader – Harley ]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
She crossed her legs, prompting me to explain.
The method itself was simple.
“Let’s clarify some concepts first. You, along with all other Awakeners, can only use ‘Mana’ right now.”
My sister nodded.
“Mana is an energy that’s used after processing energy from nature. It takes on a different form for each person, tailored to their body. In other words, it’s not a pure form of energy.”
“So?”
“If you can learn how to use the pure, unprocessed energy of nature—as in the Energy of Great Nature—you’ll become exponentially stronger. Your current power level will seem like a joke. From there, take a step beyond, and you get to Transcendent Ki. By the way, your «Sphere of Light» is Transcendent Ki.”
My sister nodded seriously.
“No matter how much you like danger, taking more risks in your current unbalanced state is foolish. So, we’ll take it stage by stage.”
“Stage by stage?”
“You need to first get to a point where you can use the Energy of Great Nature. On Titan's Eastern Continent, this is called the Golden Dantian Stage. On the Western Continent, Grand Master.”
I finally got to the meat and bones.
“For now, let’s ascend you to the Golden Dantian Stage. I’m going to confine you in a space created with my energy.”
“Am I only going to be confined?”
“Of course not. You’ll be attacked from all directions.”
My sister crossed her arms while listening to my explanation.
I continued, “First, your vision will blur, then you’ll lose your hearing.”
“......”
“Eventually, you’ll lose your sense of smell, taste, and finally touch. And of course, the attacks won’t stop.”
“…That does indeed sound dangerous.”
“It is. More importantly, I'm confining your mind, not your body. Because it’s just your mind, any injuries will heal quickly, but the pain will remain. Still up for it?”
After a moment of consideration, my sister asked, “You’re going to make me attain realization myself in there?”
“Yep. But let me be clear. Don’t try to grasp Transcendent Ki. You haven’t transcended your species yet. You’re still human. Start by realizing the Energy of Great Nature in confinement. Form your Inner Dantian and embrace the pure and vast Energy of Great Nature with your whole body. That’s your task.”
My sister stared at me with a strange expression on her face.
“Build a solid foundation. Just so you know, those Doppelgangers couldn't handle Transcendent Ki properly either.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Yet the only reason you could land effective hits on them was your Unique Skill. Without it, you can’t even patty cake with them. Though, it doesn’t make sense in the first place to be able to use transcendent ki through some bullshit like a unique skill when you can’t even use Natural Ki. Your balance is completely off. If the System hadn’t been assisting you, you would have died long ago.”
“It’s that bad?”
“I’m oversimplifying a bit, but the reality is far worse. If the System, which has been assisting you so far, gains malice and were to stop, you and every other Unique Awakener would drop dead on the spot.”
It was simple.
“A half-baked body and knowledge can’t withstand power outside its limits. So, I'm going to repeat this. Realize Natural Ki. Feel the power of Great Nature. That’s the main objective. Once you reach that stage, even if your Transcendent Ki causes problems, your body will withstand the overload.”
“Are you sure?”
“According to my calculations, yeah, I’m sure.”
My sister gulped, her eyes burning with desire. A desire to grow stronger.
“If you want, we can start right now. What do you say?”
My sister looked around.
We were still on the plane, about an hour from arriving in Bolivia.
“What will happen to my sense of time?”
“It’ll slow down significantly. Ten minutes here will probably be… a year? Maybe two? Something like that in there.”
I could make time feel even slower, but that would make it harder to control the intensity.
The method I was using on my sister was the 《Room of Time》 used by the Heimians, but with my personal modifications.
Tangentially, I had used it for torture on Titan.
Anyway, my sister seemed to have made up her mind already.
“Do it. Now.”
***
The air in Bolivia was wonderful. Absolutely refreshing.
I was looking up at the blue sky when a watch vibrated.
Bzzt. Bzzt.
I pulled out a watch from my pocket, but it wasn’t mine. It was my sister’s.
The caller ID read Chief Secretary Youngsu.
I answered the call.
“Master Jin, we have completed all our assignments. However, there was a slight problem. We’ll need to replace the president,” Youngsu reported.
“You can replace the president?” I asked.
Silence hung in the air.
“…Mr. Shi-hu?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Isn’t this Master Jin’s watch? Why do you have it…? Are you in Switzerland right now?”
“It’s been hours since I got to Switzerland. Seems you weren’t aware.”
It appeared to me that he genuinely must not have. I could hear Youngsu sigh over the watch.
“Anyway, replace the president? What’s that about?”
“…This is something I need to report to Master Jin. Is she with you?”
“Yeah, she is. But she can’t talk right now.”
“Nothing’s wrong, right?”
“Of course not.”
“…I apologize, but I can't tell you anything without her permission.”
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