Chapter 21

I Am Not a Reincarnator Chapter 21

Release the Hounds (2)

The headquarters of the Awakened Association located in Yeouido.

Passing by the Awakened who had gathered for their registration review as usual, I entered the elevator accessible only to employees.

-Knock knock.

"Come in."

A deep, resonant voice came from behind the door of the team leader's office.

Click.

As I opened the door, the sight of a muscular giant sitting at the office desk caught my eye.

'Isn't that chair going to break?'

Creak.

The moment Team Leader Han lifted his buttocks, a groaning sound echoed as if the chair had been holding back a scream.

"Have you been well?"

"Thanks to you."

We exchanged light pleasantries as I sat on the sofa.

I wanted to thoroughly investigate the insane amount of 20 billion won in the immediate request, but there was something I needed to do first.

"Have you ever heard of the Black Star Society?"

"The Black Star Society?"

Team Leader Han shook his head in response.

"No, I haven't. It's the first time I'm hearing about it."

"Then... have you ever seen this crest?"

I took out a piece of paper and drew the owl constellation crest.

"This... just a moment."

Team Leader Han pulled out a thick book from the drawer and flipped through the pages.

He squinted and examined the paper with the crest from various angles.

"This crest... is the owl constellation crest."

"Do you know about it?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I believe it's one of the 'Forgotten Crests.'"

Forgotten Crests?

What's that?

"There are records showing that it existed when the thrones first appeared on Earth 8 years ago, but now it can no longer be found."

Forgotten Crests.

"Why aren't there any records of why it disappeared?"

"Yes. At that time, the situation... wasn't one where recording things was a priority."

Team Leader Han gave a wry smile and scratched his head.

"Oh."

Oh Jin let out a short exclamation and nodded.

8 years ago.

When the gate to the outer space first opened.

A time when dozens of countries disappeared, and two-thirds of the Earth were overrun by monsters—a nightmare era.

It made sense that there were no proper records from that time.

'Who would bother to record anything when they were on the verge of dying every day?'

It was an era where merely surviving each day was considered a miracle.

'Anyway, if the owl constellation crest existed 8 years ago...'

The Black Star crest has been around for 8 years.

'Then maybe the Black Star Society...'

Has been operating in the shadows for 8 years.

'It wasn't a hastily formed organization.'

If it's an organization that has been quietly growing in size for 8 long years to achieve its goals, it must be of considerable scale.

'This is bigger than I thought.'

Oh Jin frowned.

It seemed he had disturbed not a beehive, but a wasp nest.

'I need to prepare more thoroughly.'

He had a few ideas, but none of them were particularly appealing.

"Hmm."

Team Leader Han, who had been carefully examining the paper with the owl constellation crest, turned his head towards Oh Jin.

"By the way, where did you find this crest...?"

"A few days ago, there was an incident at the gate."

"Incident?"

"Yes. I found a holy relic at the gate, and an Awakened named Eugene suddenly attacked me, claiming it was his."

He exaggerated the events of a week ago slightly.

"Did you get hurt?"

"As you can see."

"Phew... That's a relief."

Team Leader Han let out a short sigh of relief and asked.

"Was the Awakened who attacked you, Mr. Oh Jin, the one with the owl constellation crest?"

"Yes."

"Ah, then perhaps the Black Star Society...?"

"Hehe. You're sharp. Yes, he said he was a member of the 'Black Star Society.'"

"Hmm."

Oh Jin shrugged and continued.

"Since I was suddenly attacked, I asked him about his identity to find out more."

"I see... I understand. We'll investigate the owl constellation and the Black Star Society you mentioned."

Team Leader Han nodded with a serious expression.

"Thank you."

Oh Jin smiled and shook his head.

If the Association investigates, there's a good chance of getting some useful information.

Even if the Association is often ignored, it is the largest organization among government-affiliated agencies.

In terms of information, it far surpasses most guilds.

"Is there something else you'd like to ask?"

"Ah, yes. Of course."

"How much do you think this is worth?"

Oh Jin took out the fist-sized holy relic stone he received from Eugene and placed it on the table.

"Oh... This is a high-quality holy relic stone."

Team Leader Han let out a short exclamation as he examined the stone.

"Holy relics need separate appraisals, but this holy relic stone alone should fetch at least 500 million won."

500 million won!!

He tried to suppress the corners of his mouth from curling up at the staggering amount.

'Wow! Black Star Society, you're the best!!'

To earn this much just by talking for less than 5 minutes.

A thrilling shiver ran down his spine.

"Can the Association handle the disposal for me?"

"Of course. We'll ensure you get a good price above market value."

Team Leader Han smiled confidently and stretched his shoulders.

The sight of the muscular man with dark skin stretching his shoulders made him look like a male gorilla trying to impress a female.

"Tax...?"

"Of course not."

What is this?

Am I supposed to be attracted to this gorilla?

"Ah, by the way, can you appraise this as well?"

He handed over the holy relic that the Black Star Society had swapped with the black wine glass.

"Is this the holy relic that caused the incident?"

"Hehe, yes, that's right."

"Finding a holy relic so quickly... "

Team Leader Han let out a short exclamation.

Finding a holy relic at the gate isn't that rare, but for a newbie who just completed the registration review, it's extremely rare.

'But Mr. Oh Jin might be capable of it.'

Despite having just completed the registration review, the seasoned air Oh Jin naturally exuded was far from ordinary.

'He must have a lot of experience inside the gate.'

Before awakening, he was probably an ordinary person, but that's beside the point.

Team Leader Han took the blue wine glass Oh Jin handed over.

"I'll have it appraised by our connected appraiser."

"Thank you."

Oh Jin bowed slightly.

He briefly considered having the mutant holy relic stone appraised as well but decided to keep it for now.

'It might be related to the Black Star Society.'

It might come in handy later.

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

"Yes."

Oh Jin nodded.

Hmm!

He exhaled excitedly and his eyes sparkled.

'Now it's time for the main dish.'

The biggest reason he rushed to the Association as soon as he received the call.

"What is the content of the request?"

"Hehe. I was just about to explain that."

Team Leader Han laughed heartily and took a sip of coffee from his mug.

"First, the emergency request was made by the Valhalla Guild."

"...Valhalla Guild?"

It was a guild name he had never heard before.

'If they offered 20 billion won as a reward, it must be a guild of considerable size.'

He furrowed his brows, trying to recall the name.

"You might not have heard of it. It's a guild that has risen rapidly recently."

"Ah, I see."

"Yes. It's a guild made up of a small, elite group, and it's known for having highly skilled members."

A small, elite group.

He thought it was a large guild, but it seems they invested in quality over quantity.

"Most importantly, their guild master is incredibly powerful. He's considered a candidate for the next 'Seven Stars.'"

Seven Stars.

A title given to the seven most powerful and influential Awakened in the world.

If he's considered a candidate, he must be an extraordinary Awakened.

"Well... Personally, I think Mr. Oh Jin is even more impressive."

Team Leader Han shrugged and continued.

"I'm confident that Mr. Oh Jin will become one of the Seven Stars in the future."

"You're setting your expectations too high."

Oh Jin smiled modestly and shook his head.

Though he was being modest, he wasn't entirely without confidence.

If he keeps getting stronger, he'll eventually get there.

'Seven Stars.'

They are said to be far beyond human, but he had never seen one, so he couldn't gauge their true power.

'And there's only one in Korea.'

With six of the seven in foreign countries, it was hard to get news about them.

And the one in Korea wasn't particularly active.

"Ahem. Now, back to the request... It's a task that can be difficult or easy, depending on how you look at it."

What does that mean?

"What makes it difficult or easy?"

"Finding a person, that's the task."

Finding a person?

"Like a private investigator, finding and investigating someone?"

But the reward is 20 billion won?

'Even if they have more money than they know what to do with, 20 billion won is a lot.'

He looked at Team Leader Han with a questioning gaze.

Han shook his head lightly and spoke.

"It's not about investigating someone, but literally finding a person. Specifically, a missing person."

"Oh."

So that's it.

If it's a missing person, especially one who disappeared inside a gate, it would require a skilled Awakened.

"Who is the missing person?"

"Let me see... Just a moment."

Team Leader Han flipped through the request form.

"Ah, here it is."

He picked up a piece of paper from the stack and placed it on the table.

"Missing date: November 6th."

"About two weeks ago."

It's the 22nd now, so it's been exactly two weeks and two days.

"Missing location: The trail was lost after the morning of the incident. It's likely one of the low-level gates in Incheon."

"I'll have to check about eight places."

There are a total of 8 low-level gates in Incheon.

He had been scamming in low-level gates for the past few years, so he knew them well.

'Eight places, that shouldn't take long.'

At his current level, he could complete the investigation in two days, at most three.

"Gender: Male. Age: late 20s. Height: 182 cm. Black hair, slender build. Oh, and the name... Let me see. Ah, here it is."

"Lee Shinhyuk. The missing person's name is Lee Shinhyuk."

"━What?"

Who the hell is this?

"How about it? Can you find him?"

No.

Find who?

'He's already dead.'

This is ridiculous.