REAPER SCANS
Legendary Returner’s Survival Guide
[Translator – TinTin ]
[Proofreader – Harley ]
Chapter 6
“We slipped outside of time.”
“……What?”
“We moved faster than the realm of human perception. Not just anyone can do that. How do I explain this… Think of a normal human as someone who can pass the college entrance exams. This is a step above that. It’s a skill that requires you to be the equivalent of a top scorer on the bar exam.”
“The bar exam system has been retired for years now… Wait. Are you saying that you and the Jin Shi-hu over there…”
“Which, I’m the real Jin Shi-hu.”
“Okay. Fine. So you’re saying Fake Shi-hu used Mana?”
“You could compare it to Mana, but it’s a power wielded only by those who’ve transcended their species. Some call it Divine Energy, others Soul Energy, but in Titan, we usually call it Transcendent Soul Energy. The name doesn’t really matter, so call it whatever’s comfortable for you.”
“……Oh my lord.”
Bin was aghast. It was literally unbelievable.
“Jin Shi-hu is… I mean, Fake Shi-hu is a Non-Awakener. He got a zero on the Awakener evaluation test. So how could he use Mana…?”
“How do you evaluate an Awakener’s rank?”
“We use a Mana Evaluator. A person places their hand on a crystal ball-like orb, and it spreads Mana across their body. Depending on the rank that appears on one’s Status Window, there is a difference in their ‘Mana Capacity’. That’s why the rank is evaluated by measuring one’s mana capacity.”
“Sounds like it’d be easy to cheat.”
“…What?”
“You’re saying it sends Mana in, right? How can a mere artifact’s mana have free reign over the body of someone who can use a power that is a step above Mana? That’s as impossible as the sky being split in two.”
That meant the result was entirely intentional.
Fake Shi-hu was definitely not a Non-Awakener.
Bin gulped hard.
His thoughts were right.
This wasn’t something he should get roped into. No, he absolutely shouldn’t get caught up in it.
Something serious was afoot. Something crazy.
Shi-hu spoke to Bin, lost in thought, “It’s your birthday today, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Your birthday is on Children’s Day… You were born on a good day.”
“I’ve heard that a lot.”
Shi-hu smiled, “Then I need to give you a present.”
Shi-hu extended his right index finger and tapped Bin’s forehead.
Bin felt as if electricity was coursing through his body. Then, his right arm went numb.
He let out a muffled scream. His body went limp and his mind grew hazy. He was passing out.
Before he completely lost consciousness, he heard Shi-hu’s voice.
“Use it well, and I’ll see you again if the opportunity arises.”
Bin desperately tried to keep his eyes open from where he had collapsed on the floor.
Shi-hu was walking away, his back turned against Bin.
In front of Shi-hu was a huge building.
A sign caught Bin’s eye.
‘Casa Pia Restaurant.’
And with that, Bin lost consciousness.
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – TinTin ]
[Proofreader – Harley ]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
3-star Michelin restaurants were rare in Seoul.
As of 2034, there were only four. Casa Pia Restaurant was one of them.
The place, which should have been bustling with people, was eerily empty that day.
That was because it was open to only one person.
That one person was a woman with long, straight hair who was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt.
She smiled brightly at the man in front of her and asked, “So, how’s the writing going?”
“It’s going well. However, I feel like I’m benefiting from you too much. I’m just a third-rate novelist.”
She was Jin Song-yi, the hero of Korea and one of The Seven Stars, the seven Unique Awakeners of the world.
The difference between regular and Unique Awakeners raised an important question: why were there two types, and what distinguished them from one another?
The answer was simple.
Awakeners leveled up like game characters, and their level limit was determined by their initial Awakener Rank.
For example, an F rank Awakener had a limit of Level 5, an E rank Awakener had a limit of Level 10, and so on. That doubling pattern continued until A rank, which had a limit of Level 160.
S rank was where the number of Awakeners in that rank became rarer. The doubling pattern also changed from S rank onwards.
S rank was Level 300, SS rank was Level 500, and SSS rank was Level 1,000.
That was the growth limit for regular Awakeners.
Additionally, when classifying awakeners, they were given + or - rating depending on where they were on their level limit. So an A rank Awakener that reached their level limit was referred to as an A+ Awakener, and one that had yet to reach their limit was referred to as an A- Awakener.
However, Unique Awakeners were different.
They had no limits.
They were the chosen ones among the chosen ones. That was what Unique Awakeners were.
Now, Song-yi was quick-witted on top of being so talented. She was definitely no idiot.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You seem different today. Did something bad happen?”
Her younger brother gave an awkward smile and replied, “It’s just that the writing isn’t going so well. What about you? You were supposed to clear that S rank Gate in the United States, right?”
“That’s a surprise. You usually aren’t very interested in my life.”
“How can I ignore it though? It’s all over the internet and TV. Also…”
“Also?”
“I may not show it, but I do care. You’re my big sister.”
Song-yi couldn’t help but smile again at his words.
She had learned so much from her brother when they were young.
How not to give up, how to work hard, how to behave in front of someone stronger than her. She learned willpower, tenacity, and courage.
Jin Song-yi wasn’t who she was today just because of herself. It was thanks to her brother, who, despite being two years younger, had taken on the role of the head of the family when they were young.
Although her brother was a Non-Awakener, and every book he wrote was criticized as “trash”, she was still proud of him.
Of course, it was true that her brother was making a fortune thanks to her fame. However, he was humble. He didn’t cause any trouble and quietly focused on his writing. At least, not anymore.
To be honest, her brother had been a handful until a few years ago.
He was getting into all sorts of trouble. He had even gotten involved with drugs, attending chemically-fueled parties. It was driving her crazy, but he was still family.
Her one and only family in the world.
Song-yi asked playfully, “You’re not causing any trouble behind my back again, are you?”
“Of course not. I know better than that.”
He did, in fact, know better. Jin Song-yi’s influence in South Korea was absolute. There was almost nothing that happened without her knowledge. She was already convinced that her brother had turned over a new leaf, which was why she was going to introduce him to Ron Wesley, the master of fiction, who was incredibly hard to get a hold of.
Song-yi noted that it was almost time for him to arrive. She wanted to chat with her brother before Ron arrived.
They were both so busy that they rarely had the chance to see each other face-to-face, so this time was very precious to her. This precious time was about to become even more precious with the guest that her brother had admired on his way.
She checked her watch to message Ron, asking him when he’d be there. But then, a man approached and sat down next to her brother.
Song-yi almost lost her temper, a very rare occurrence.
Why was the restaurant so empty in the first place? It was empty for her.
Of course, Song-yi wasn’t an unreasonable person. Today was a regular day off for the restaurant, which was why only one chef and three other staff members were working that day
She had paid a fair price for that exclusive treatment. So who was this man?
What was he doing here and what did he want?
“Hey, Sis. Long time no see.”
‘What is he talking about?’ Song-yi wondered.
She was about to ask who he was, but then she stopped.
His appearance was too familiar.
He looked very much like her brother. Their physique was similar, too. But there was one thing different: his aura.
‘He’ had a very strange aura about him. An aura of strength.
It was as if he was deliberately emanating it.
“Why the long face?”
“…….”
“This is really hurting my feelings,” the man said, crossing his arms. “Not only did you not notice that your real little brother went missing, but you also got played by a small-fry bastard like him. What a mess.”
“…Could you please leave while I’m still asking nicely?” Song-Yi requested.
Her words made the man’s eyes widen.
“I thought I misheard you for a second,” he responded. “My air-headed sister really has changed.”
The novelist Shi-hu tried to diffuse the situation, “Why don’t we step aside for a sec—”
“Who said you were allowed to speak?” The man glared coldly at the novelist.
The novelist gulped.
“Hey, ding-dong.” The man continued, “Just because we’re sitting at the same table, do you think we’re friends or something? What makes you think you can butt into this? Huh?”
Song-yi couldn’t hold it in any longer. She was about to yell at him when suddenly the man waved his hand.
Thwack—!
Craaash—!!
There were two sounds, but they sounded almost like one.
At least, that was how Song-yi perceived it.
Then she realized. An attack, one she couldn’t even properly perceive, had hit her brother.
The man’s palm had struck her brother’s face. Her brother was sent flying, smashed through the wall, and crashed into the next building. It must have been a parking lot, because there was a loud commotion.
‘What in the world?!’ Song-Yi thought.
She thought that there was no way her Non-Awakener brother could have survived that attack.
An incredible amount of energy erupted from Song-yi’s body.
She reached out, shouting, “You son of a bitch!”
* * *
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Song-yi’s punch contained enough power to shatter even mountains. It was a certainty that anyone in the world would die if they were to take her attack head-on.
Or at least, that was supposed to be the case.
Because she was Jin Song-yi. Not some random extra.
Fwump—
The sound was surprisingly muddled.
Song-yi’s punch was caught by the man in front of her.
It wasn’t blocked by his arm. He literally just grabbed it.
Her fist had moved at an incredible speed. Logically, the air and Mana around them should have been torn apart by the punch. There should have been some kind of shockwave due to inertia, but there was none of that.
“……What the?!”
The man spoke to the bewildered Song-yi, “Calm down, Sis.”
“…….” Song-yi responded with silence.
“I’m trying to understand, I really am. I was told the jist of it from a semi-police guy on my way here. Now let me ask you a question. Do you really think that guy is dead right now?”
Of course she thought that. It only made sense. After all, Jin Song-yi’s younger brother, the novelist Jin Shi-hu, was a ‘Non-Awakener.’
He was just an ordinary person. Sure, he didn’t neglect exercise and kept himself in good shape, but there was a world of difference between an ordinary person and an Awakener.
That ordinary Shi-hu had been hit and sent flying, destroying two buildings in the process. It would be stranger to believe that he’s still alive.
But then, Song-yi found herself bewildered. What she saw gave her goosebumps all over her body.
Her brother, who had been slammed into the parking lot, slowly pushed himself up from between the wrecked cars and lifted his head.
She could see his expression. It was an expression she had never seen on her brother’s face before.
It was a cold, demonic expression.
The contorted face was distant from the usual expression her brother, who was always smiling and at ease, wore.
The man slowly let go of Song-yi’s hand and turned around. The eyes of the two men met.
The real Shi-hu, the one who had called Song-yi “sis”, smiled and said, “I was going to wait outside, but I just couldn’t. It felt like I was bending backward for a piece of trash like you, so I had to barge in. You should get going now. The three hours I gave you are still valid, so fuck off somewhere quiet and think about it carefully.”
“…….”
“I don’t have time for a bastard like you, so move along.”
Shi-hu was being very generous. He waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly. It was a clear sign to get lost.
At that moment, the doppelganger had also made up his mind.
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